JOHN C. ANDERSEN

Clearly defined purpose and consecutive effort in the affairs of life will inevitable result in the attainment of a due measure of success, and in following out the career of one who has attained success by his own efforts there comes into view the intrinsic individuality which made such accomplishment possible. In this class stands John C. Andersen, a prominent citizen and farmer of the Ferndale township. A native of Denmark, his birth occurred on the 18th of September, 1861, and he is a son of Hans Christian and Christina Andersen, both of whom also were natives of that country. Hans C. Andersen came to the United states in 1865 and soon afterward came to California, taking up a homestead in Mendocino county. His land was covered with fine redwood timber, which he logged off. He put the land under cultivation and conducted farming operations there up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1910. His wife had preceded him in death, passing away July 4, 1879. To their union were born three children: John C., Amelia and Theodore M. In 1886 Hans C. Andersen was again married and to this union were born two sons, P. H. and Albert A., both of whom are now living in Albion, Mendocino county, California.

John C. Andersen was educated in the public schools of Mendocino county and later took a commercial course in a business college in Lynden, Washington. After leaving school, Mr. Andersen, on June 20, 1883, accompanied by one companion, left his home in Mendocino county and arrived at Bellingham, Whatcom county, Washington, on October 8, having made the trip with four horses and a covered wagon. He at once engaged in the building and contracting business, his first undertaking in this county being a contract received from Judge Hickock, then superintendent for the Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railroad, for ten thousand ties, the first ever cut in the county, for the construction of that road. Under the Donahue law he built the first road in Whatcom county, five miles long, between Lynden and the Canadian border. Since then he has done much government work in the county, and he also helped to build the first street car line in Bellingham, having the contract for grading and planking it. Soon after coming to this county Mr. Andersen took up a preemption claim near Delta, where he lived for two years, during which time he did much toward opening up the roads in that district, particularly the one running to Blaine, that being the nearest way out. After disposing of his holdings at Delta he located two miles north of Lynden, where he had an important part in solving the drainage and road problems of that district. He has been very active along the line of road, bridge and drainage construction in Whatcom county, having built approximately thirty miles  of roads and three miles of bridges, and he has constructed three drainage districts, including the lowering of Wiser lake about six feet, and built several of the principal streets of Bellingham. He also followed logging for a numbers of years and has been employed by some of the largest firms in the county as timber cruiser and log scaler and buyer. About 1905 Mr. Andersen bought sixty acres of land in section 36, Ferndale township, in the center of the Nooksack river valley. He moved onto the place in 1912 and now has twenty-five acres of it cleared and under the plow. In 1915 he built a comfortable home and substantial barn. He keeps nine cows and four hundred chickens.

Mr. Andersen was married June 10, 1894, to Miss Anna Laura Henry, who was born in Lake City, Minnesota, a daughter of Henry and Rebecca (Hawkins) Henry and the granddaughter of an English earl who came to the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century, settled in Virginia and was engaged for twenty-one years in teaching in the schools of that state. To Mr. and Mrs. Andersen have been born five children, namely: Mrs. May Dahl, who lives in Alberta, Canada, and who is the mother of two children, Beverly May and Shirley Ann; Elmer, who remains unmarried and who owns a twenty acre farm in Ferndale township; Mrs. Edna Easterbrooks, who lives in Bellingham; Mildred, who is engaged in teaching school in Bellingham; and Mabel I., who died when one year old. The daughters are graduates of the State Normal School at Bellingham and Edna also attended the State University, while Mildred attended the State Agricultural College at Pullman. They are all talented in music, both vocal and instrumental. Elmer is a veteran of the World war, having enlisted for service, and was in New York when the armistice was signed, being honorably discharged in December, 1918. Mrs. Andersen takes an active interest in all community welfare work and is popular in the circles in which she moves. Mr. Andersen is the only living charter member of Lynden Lodge No. 77, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is public-spirited in his support of all measures for the general good of the community. Because of his character and his friendliness he enjoys a high place in the esteem and confidence of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 817-818.

HENRY J. BAETEN

Large and important interests claim the attention and profit by the business acumen and enterprise of H. J. Baeten, one of the foremost representatives of the lumber industry of Whatcom county and a valuable citizen of Blaine. A native of Minnesota he was born in 1885 and was thirteen years of age when his parents, John and Mary Baeten, settled in King county, Washington. They moved to Whatcom in 1902 and the father worked for a time in the lumber woods, afterward locating in Bellingham, where he now resides.

H. J. Baeten attended the public schools of Minnesota and completed his education in Washington. He gained his start in life by working in lumber camps and was steadily advanced as he demonstrated his worth and ability. At length he reached a point where he was able to embark upon an independent venture and in 1917 started a mill at Maple Falls, Washington, forming the J. J. Baeten Lumber Company, which still has the plant. In 1915 the Dakota Creek Lumber & Shingle Company was organized and the business was continued under that style until October 24, 1923, when it was purchased by the present owners, the Baeten Lumber Company, of which F. D. Fobes, while the subject of this sketch acts as secretary, treasurer and manager. The mill has a capacity of twenty thousand feet, and the men work in eight-hour shifts. The firm buys logs in the open market and ships its output by rail and automobile trucks. The lumber is sold through jobbers, and the company has twenty-two employes. In the management of the concern Mr. Baeten brings to bear executive capacity and a comprehensive understanding of all departments of the lumber industry, from the operations in the logging camps to the distribution of the finished product to the centers of trade. His labors have been beneficially resultant and the business is enjoying a steady and healthful growth.

In 1911 Mr. Baeten married Miss Mattie Poalk, of Maple Falls, Washington, and they have two daughters, Bessie and Helen. Mr. Baeten is identified with the Loyal Order of Moose and his political views are in accord with the platform and principles of the republican party. He is always ready to further every worthy cause, but his interest centers in his business, and his devotion to duty, stability of purpose, progressive spirit and thorough reliability are amply illustrated in his career.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 362.

JOHN W. BELL

Choosing a line of work followed for successive generations by members of the family, John W. Bell has become a prosperous farmer and his name is well known to the ranchmen of Deming township, for his residence in this section of the county covers a period of thirty-seven years. He was born January 28, 1862, and is a native of Rock Island county, Illinois. His parents were Jesse Hall and Prudence Eliza (Curtice) Bell, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Michigan. They went to Illinois in 1858 and lived for many years in that state. In 1879 they moved to Iowa, settling in Benton county, and there the father was engaged in farming for eleven years. He came to Whatcom county in 1890 and made his home with the subject of this sketch until his demise.

John W. Bell attended the public schools of his native state and completed his education in Tilford Academy in Iowa. His boyhood was spent amid the scenes of rural life and at an early age he became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He came to northwestern Washington in 1888 and was employed for a year in one of the logging camps of Whatcom county. In 1889 he entered a homestead four miles from Deming, selecting for his future home a frontier district to which few had penetrated, and was confronted with the arduous task of hewing a farm out of the wilderness. He finally succeeded in clearing the land, which he prepared for the growing of the crops best adapted to soil and climatic conditions in this region. He has a ranch of one hundred and forty-five acres, twenty of which are under cultivation, and the balance is in timber and pasture. He built a good home on the place and from time to time has added other improvements which have heightened its value. He operates a dairy on his farm and also raises poultry, deriving from these industries liberal returns for the labor expended.

In 1890 Mr. Bell married Miss Arma Marlenee, of Guthrie county, Iowa, and they had five children: Gladys; John, who is married and has one child; Bernard, who has a wife and three children; and two others. Mrs. Bell died March 21, 1926, and was laid to rest in the Kendall cemetery. Her passing was deeply mourned by her family and many friends. Mr. Bell belongs to the local Grange, taking a keen interest in its proceedings, and is a democrat in his political views. He was a member of the school board for twenty years and for a term was one of the supervisors of the township, performing valuable public service in both connections. Mr. Bell has lived to witness notable changes in the township as pioneer conditions have been replaced by the advantages of modern civilization, and in the fullness of time he has reaped the merited reward of honest toil, at the same time contributing his share toward the development and consequent prosperity of his district.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 673-674.

HENRY BLANKENFORTH

In the death of the late Henry Blankenforth, Whatcom county lost one of its earliest pioneers and representative citizens. As the day, with its morning of hope and promise, its noontide of activity, its evening of complete and successful efforts, ending in the grateful rest and quiet of the night, so was the life of this honored man. His career was a long, busy and useful one, and although he devoted his attention primarily to his individual affairs, he never allowed the pursuits of material things to warp his kindly nature but preserved his faculties and the warmth of his heart for the broadening and helpful influences of human life, being to the end a kindly, genial friend and gentleman. Because of his fine public spirit, splendid business success and upright life, he long enjoyed the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens, and his death was considered a distinct loss to the community.

Henry Blankenforth was born in Oldenberg, German, September 27, 1842, and his death occurred September 21, 1925, when almost eighty-three years of age. He received his education in the public schools of his native land and was reared to the life of a farmer. Later he learned the trade of a ship carpenter and sailed on the high seas to practically every part of the globe. In 1870 he left the sea and came to the United States, going at once to Arizona, of which he was one of the earliest settlers, and was engaged in farming for a few years. He was located seventy-five miles from Phoenix, the nearest point where he could secure provisions. Eventually he left there and went to San Francisco, form where he went up the coast by boat to Astoria, and thence to British Columbia, on a visit. About 1875 he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Lynden township, Whatcom county, Washington, and that was his home during the remainder of his life, a period of fifty years. Thus he was an eye witness of the settlement and development of this locality and took a part in all the affairs of those early days looking to the organization of the community and the advancement of measures for the public welfare. He settled in the  midst of a veritable wilderness, his land being densely covered with timber and brush, while around him roamed wild animals, such as bears, deer, cougars, and other denizens of the forest. There were no roads, and the early settlers were compelled to endure untold hardships and privations for a number of years after coming here.

Eventually Mr. Blankenforth cleared eighty acres of his land and created one of the best farmsteads in this locality. He was during his active years an untiring worker and exercised sound judgment and discrimination in his operations, doing well whatever he undertook and earning a reputation for enterprise and progress. During his earlier years here he worked at other employment, in order to earn ready cash to carry him through while he was getting his land in shape for cultivation, but at length fortune smiled on him and he became on of the solid and substantial farmers of Lynden township. He devoted himself very largely to dairy farming, keeping twenty-five cows, mostly good grade Holsteins. He raised good crops of hay and grain and had also established a nice orchard, the trees of which were grown from seeds of his own planting. It was a far cry from the early days here, when there was but little communication with the outside world and trading had to be done at Bellingham - all day being required to make the round trip, owing to the almost impassable roads - to the comfortable and convenient surroundings of his later years, and his reminiscences covered practically the entire period of the settlement and development of his community.

In 1887 Mr. Blankenforth was married to Mrs. Margaret (Salor) Mayer, whose first husband, Peter Mayer, died in 1875. To that union were born three children, two of whom are deceased, the survivor being a married daughter. Mrs. Blankenforth was born and reared in Germany, a daughter of George and Victoria (Rapfer) Salor, farming folk, who spent their lives and died in Germany. The daughter came to the United States in 1871, locating in Michigan, where she remained until 1883, when she came to Whatcom county. To Mr. and Mrs. Blankenforth were born two children: Hannah who is the wife of Carl Rinehart, of Lawrence, and has four children; and Gilbert, who rents the home place from his mother. He was married to Miss Annie Radder, and they have one child, Howard. Mr. Blankenforth was a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and was active in his support of all measures looking to the best interests of the farmer. His religious affiliation was with the Lutheran church, of which he was a liberal supporter. He was active in the public affairs of his locality, having served for eleven years as a member of the school board and for a number of years as road supervisor. Through the long years of his residence in this locality he was true to every trust reposed in him and his reputation was unassailable. Kindly and generous, he possessed to a marked degree the love, admiration and respect of all who had the honor of his acquaintance, and his name in eminently deserving of perpetuation among the representative and honored citizens of Whatcom county.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 249-250.

ANDREW J. BROWN

Among the enterprising farmers and business men of northwestern Whatcom county is he whose name forms the caption to this review - a man whose earnest life, fine public spirit and sound business ability have gained for him an enviable reputation throughout his locality. A. J. Brown was born at Clintonville, Clinton county, New York, on the 7th of December, 1863, and is a son of A. J. and Phoebe (Robhere) Brown. His father was a native of Manchester, England, when he was brought at the age of two years to the United States by his parents, who located in Franklin county, New York. He was there educated and became a civil engineer. During the Civil war he enlisted in the Tenth New York Regiment of Engineers, and on September 7, 1863, while putting in a pontoon bridge just before the battle of Mission Ridge, he was killed by a sharpshooter's bullet. He had had an honorable record in civil life and before going into the army had served as county engineer of Clinton county. His wife was a native of France and was brought to the United States in her childhood, her family settling on the line between Vermont and Canada.

A. J. Brown, our immediate subject, received his educational training in the public schools of North Adams, Massachusetts, to which place his mother moved after her husband's death. After completing his education, Mr. Brown was employed in the construction of the Hoosac tunnel, as water boy, later working for the New York Central Railroad. He then went to Ohio to visit an uncle and remained in that state for several years, being employed in farm work. He also learned the painter's trade, at which he was employed at Sioux City, Iowa, St. Paul, Minnesota, and other places until 1902, when he came to Lynden, Whatcom county where he followed that trade for twelve years. In 1914 he located on his present place, buying a half acre of land, on which he built a store and residence, and here he has done a prosperous business in the general mercantile line. He handles a complete and well selected line of groceries, hardware, feed, flour, shoes and other goods as are demanded by the local trade, and also maintains an automobile service station, selling gas and oil. He likewise owns a nice farm in Delta township and is now enjoying a well merited measure of prosperity. He is courteous and accommodating and has built up a large and steadily growing trade.

In 1900, while in Wisconsin, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Sophie Beckstrom, who was born in Sweden, a daughter of John and Christina (Erickson) Beckstrom, both of whom also were natives of that country. The father's name was originally Johnson, but he changed it to Beckstrom when he came to the United States in 1881. He located at River Falls, Wisconsin, where he was engaged in farming until 1903, when he came to Lynden, Whatcom county, where his death occurred in 1909. His widow is now making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Brown became the parents of six children, namely: Glenn, who died in 1909; Dorothy, who is the wife of George Neidhart, of Delta, and has one child; Helen and Bonna, who are in high school; and Eloise and Avanelle, who are in grammar school. Mr. Brown is a man of splendid personal qualities, friendly and affable in manner, is a good manager, an untiring worker and is kindly and generous in his attitude toward those less fortunate than he.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 318-321.

EDWARD F. G. CARLYON

Among the men of vision, courage and ability who are making history in northwestern Washington, none is better known than E. F. G. Carlyon, a dominant force in the development of Whatcom county and one of the foremost stock raisers in the Pacific coast region. He was born in 1861 and is a native of New Zealand. His parents were George G. and Anna Maria (Ford) Carlyon, the former of whom was born in Cornwall, England, and the latter in Devonshire. The father was a major in the British army, being attached to the Royal Infantry, and served throughout the Crimean war. He was wounded in action and his military career was marked by conspicuous bravery and gallantry. After the war he was appointed commandant of the tower of London and afterward went to the West Indies with his regiment and was later invalided home. From there he journeyed to New Zealand in the hope of improving his health and purchased thirty-three thousand acres of land from the government. He established a large stock ranch, on which he ran pure bred cattle, sheep and horses, and was very successful in that business, in which he continued until his death about 1883. He was long survived by the mother who passed away in 1913.

E. F. G Carlyon is one of a family of nine children. He attended a grammar school at Canterbury, New Zealand, was afterward a student at Christ College, and completed his education in Cambridge University, in England, receiving the degrees of B. A. and LL. B. He was a member of the Inner Temple Bar of London. In the fall of 1888 he arrived in Whatcom county, Washington, and purchased a large tract of land in the town of Whatcom. He felt that this was destined to become one of the important cities of the state and has lived to see his faith justified. He did much to stimulate the growth of the town and built a road to Lake Whatcom, also a telephone line. He bought three hundred acres of land at Silver Beach and, with a syndicate which he organized, platted the village and there constructed a hotel and dock, playing a leading part in the development of the place. In 1900 Mr. Carlyon began raising pure bred Jersey cattle and has made a notable success in this field of endeavor. He received valuable training under his father, and he is widely recognized as an authority on matters pertaining to the breeding of pedigreed stock. He brought from New York the dam of the celebrated St. Mawes, one of the greatest bulls ever known, and his herd comprises about twenty registered Jerseys. His cattle have been exhibited throughout the west and stock of his breeding have won blue ribbons at the International Show in Portland and in other large cities of the country, as well as championships at the Oregon State Fair.

In July, 1904, Mr. Carlyon married Miss Lucille Duvall, who was a native of Arkansas and died in December, 1905. She had become the mother of a daughter, Helen A. L., who was born at Ferndale, June 16, 1905, and resides at home. On November 15, 1919, Mr. Carlyon was united in marriage to Miss Isabella Thallon Hogg, a native of Fifeshire, Scotland, and a daughter of Andrew and Martha (Dryburgh) Hogg. Her mother was born in Berwick, Scotland, and the father's birth occurred in the city of Glasgow. Mr. Hogg was prominent in political affairs of that country, and he responded to death's summons in 1923. He had long survived his wife, who passed away in 1905. Mrs. Carlyon was graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, winning honors in French, and was awarded the degree of L. L. A. She studied languages in Switzerland, France and Germany and is an accomplished linguist, conversing fluently in four tongues. She also studied abroad and in 1910 entered the Swanley Horticulture College for Women, completing a course in that institution of learning. She went to South Africa during the Boer war and taught in the concentration camps. She did private tutoring in England and was also teacher of French and German at Bellingham. Mr. Carlyon is a gentleman of the old school, of chivalrous nature and dignified bearing, and his courteous manner is the outward expression of a warm heart and genial, sympathetic disposition that have drawn to him  hosts of friends, who speak of him in terms of high regard.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 330-331.

REV. VICTOR CHARROIN

The Rev. Victor Charroin, a retired clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal communion, is a son of Victor Charroin, who was one of the real pioneers of Whatcom county, a homesteader in the Mountain View district, who became a prominent personal factor in the development of that region and whose last days were spent there. The junior Victor Charroin was but a lad when he came to the coast with his parents from Wisconsin in the '60s of the past century and in good time he returned east to complete his studies, was prepared for the gospel ministry, ordained a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church and began preaching in Princeton, Wisconsin, where he remained for some years. In 1883 he was attracted to the mission field of his church and for seven years was engaged in mission labors in South Dakota. Returning then to Wisconsin he was engaged in regular ministerial work there until in 1899, when failing health prompted his return to the coast and he has since been living here.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 450.

ENOCH J. COFFELT

Agricultural pursuits have occupied the attention of Enoch J. Coffelt throughout the period of his active career, and upon an intensive study of methods, wide experience and unceasing industry has been founded the success which has placed him in the front rank of the progressive farmers and poultrymen of Mountain View township. He was born in San Juan county, Washington, in 1886, and is a son of Jasper and Rozella (Ritchie) Coffelt, the former a native of Iowa and a member of one of the old families of that state. The mother was born in Indiana and has passed away. Her father, George W. Ritchie, made the long arduous journey across the plains with a team and wagon and took up a homestead on Lopez island, in San Juan county, Washington, where Jasper Coffelt had entered a claim a few years previous to that time, and while living here the latter was married to Miss Ritchie. He was one of the earliest settlers in that district, in which he still resides.

Enoch J. Coffelt received a public school education and remained at home until he reached the age of eighteen. He was employed as a farm laborer until 1909, when he went to Oregon and entered a homestead. He proved up on the claim, which he eventually converted into a fertile farm, and in 1914 traded the place for a forty acre tract near Blaine, in Whatcom county. That ranch was later exchanged for Bellingham property, which he subsequently traded for a farm near Laurel, in Whatcom county, Washington. He was the owner of that property until 1917, when he bartered the place for forty acres of land in the vicinity of Ferndale, in Mountain View township, where he has since made his home. He produces hay and grain, and his intelligently directed labor is rewarded by abundant harvests. He has three pure bred dairy cows and is engaged in poultry raising on a large scale, having a flock of five hundred chickens. He has good buildings on the property, in which he takes justifiable pride, and his standards of farming are high.

On July 21, 1909, Mr. Coffelt married Miss Nina Gawley, a native of Ontario, Canada, and a daughter of William and Julia Gawley, pioneer settlers of Lopez island, on which the father is still engaged in farming. The mother passed away in 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Coffelt have four children: Ethel, Laura, Pearl and Floyd. Mr. Coffelt was elected township supervisor in January, 1925, and is now acting as chairman of the board, bringing to the discharge of his public duties the deep thought and sound judgment which he manifests in the conduct of his private affairs. He is a member of the local Grange, the Warehouse Association, the Cooperative Egg & Poultry Association and the Whatcom County Dairy Association. Along fraternal lines he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights of the Maccabees and the United Artisans. He has many sincere friends in the township and his life record illustrates the power of diligence and honesty in the attainment of prosperity.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 539-540.

NOAH C. DAVENPORT

The most elaborate history is necessarily an abridgement, the historian being compelled to select his facts and materials from a multitude of details. So in every life of honor and usefulness the biographer finds no dearth of incident, and yet in summing up the career of any man it is necessary to touch upon the most salient points, giving only the keynote of his character and eliminating much that is superfluous. Consequently in recounting the life record of Noah C. Davenport no attempt shall be made to give all the important acts in his useful career, for it is deemed that only a few of them will show him to be eminently worthy of a place in this record along with his fellow citizens of high standing and recognized worth - men who have and are figuring prominently in the affairs of their respective communities.

Mr. Davenport was born in Washington county, Virginia, on the 21st of January, 1855, and is a son of Julius T. and Sally (Wassum) Davenport, also natives of the Old Dominion state, the father being of old Virginia stock, while the mother was a Pennsylvania-German descent. Julius T. Davenport was a pioneer minister of the Baptist church and was well known throughout his state. His wife also was active and prominent in church work and both were intensely interested in the promotion of the educational interests of Virginia. They were the parents of ten children as follows: Rev. Thomas J., who won the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from Emory and Henry College and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Louisville (Kentucky) Theological Seminary, was prominent in the ministry of the Baptist church and traveled extensively in Africa and the Holy Land. He died in 1916. Julius T., who was a graduate from the same college and with the same degrees as his brother, taught for six years in the Troy (New York) Business College, three years in Packard's Business College, in New York city, and later was principal of the Millington (Tennessee) Academy. He also died in 1916. The other children were Joseph M., Noah C., Edward L., William H., Mrs. Mary Bailey, Mrs. Sarah V. Giesler, Jacob and Martha, deceased. The father died February 27, 1875, and was survived for five years by the mother, whose death occurred in November, 1882.

Noah C. Davenport attended the public schools and the Marion (Virginia) Academy for Young Men, winning a medal for oratory and the degree of Bachelor of Natural Science and English Literature. He was a teacher for fifteen years and is an ordained minister of the Baptist church. He was one of the original founders and trustees of Intermount College, a girl's school at Bristol, Virginia, founded in 1884. After teaching in the public schools of Virginia and Kentucky, he engaged in mercantile business at Lindell, Washington county, Virginia, for four years and in March, 1898, he came to Lincoln county, Washington, where he remained for seven years. He then located at Sherman, Washington, where he bought a wheat ranch of one hundred and sixty acres, to which he gave his attention for seven years, and during that period bought a newspaper, The Sentinel, which he ran for about four years with pronounced success, making of it one of the most progressive and alert country papers in the county. Its circulation increased one hundred per cent and its amount of advertising three hundred per cent. After bringing the paper to the point where it was a good business proposition, he sold it in 1905, and then came to Whatcom county and engaged in the hotel business at Bellingham. After one year in that line Mr. Davenport purchased thirty acres of land in Ferndale township, which was densely covered with brush and timber, and he applied himself vigorously to the task of clearing the land and putting it in cultivation. He succeeded in creating a splendid homestead, where he is still living and enjoying life as only the successful farmer can. He carries on general farming, raising grain, hay, corn and potatoes, and also keeps about twelve cows. He is a careful and painstaking agriculturist, doing thoroughly and well whatever he undertakes, and has won a high reputation among his fellow farmers as an enterprising and progressive man. He gives considerable attention to chickens and is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association. For six years he was president of the Laurel Creamery and was instrumental in effecting its sale to the Dairymen's Association. He is a member and press agent of the Pomona Grange and has been a consistent and ardent advocate of good roads; is also deeply interested in educational affairs and has served for three years as a member of the board of trustees of the Laurel high school. He is eminently public-spirited and gives his support to every measure calculated to advance the interests of the community along material, civic or moral lines. Politically Mr. Davenport has been a lifelong supporter of the democratic party and has taken an active part in local political affairs, having served as chairman of the county committee and also as president of the Woodrow Wilson Club of Bellingham. He was his party's candidate for the state legislature in 1924.

On May 15, 1879, Mr. Davenport was married to Miss Ida F. Hubble, a native of Smith county, Virginia, and a daughter of Robert H. and Freelove (Blessing) Hubble. Her father was a veteran of the Civil war and became a successful farmer and influential citizen, being especially prominent in educational work. Mrs. Davenport is one of a family of ten children: Dr. J. E. Hubble, a prominent physician and graduate of the University of Virginia; Rev. D. S. Hubble, an eminent minister of the Baptist church; William; Robert F.; Louis J.; Thomas C.; Mary Grace; Martha; and Virgie E. To Mr. and Mrs. Davenport have been born seven children, namely: Bernard M., who is married and has a daughter, Virginia Lou, is now principal of the Meridian high school and is living on a ranch of forty acres, where he has built a fine residence, of stucco finish. Ray L., who owns a sixty acre ranch, is married and has two children, Ida F. and Ray, Jr. Ernest H. died in October, 1899; Noah Cleveland married Ella Tarte, a daughter of Captain J. W. Tarte, and has four children, Howard, Margaret, Robert and James. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University and is now teaching in the Franklin high school in Seattle, Washington. Laila A. is the wife of Oscar Naff, an extensive wheat grower in Lincoln county, Washington, and they have a son, Harold Donald. Thomas H. is unmarried and lives at home. John E. is married and has a son, Edwin D. Thomas H. and John E. volunteered for service in the World war, John serving in the navy and Thomas as a member of the Sixth Battalion of the Twentieth Engineering Corps. Though unassuming in manner, Mr. Davenport is a man of forceful individuality, has the courage of his convictions and holds an enviable place in the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 620-623.

MATTHIAS DEETER

The people of the Nooksack valley in Whatcom county are too familiar with the career of M. Deeter for the biographer to call special attention to his record other than to give the salient facts, for he has spent his best active years here and has gained a prominent place in the esteem of the people and in the respect of all who have had business dealings with him. Mr. Deeter was born in Clay county, Indiana, on the 1st of February, 1869, and is a son of W. M. and Catherine (Newport) Deeter, the former of whom was a native of Ohio, which the mother was born and reared in the Hoosier state. W. M. Deeter followed farming, where he bought a farm, and lived there until 1897, when he came to Whatcom county, locating in the Nooksack valley, where he bought eighty acres of land to the cultivation of which he devoted himself until about two years prior to his death, which occurred August 9, 1912. He bought a home in Sumas, and there his widow is still living. They were the parents of eleven children, as follows: Mrs. Elizabeth Ludwig; M., the subject of this sketch, Henry, who lives in Arkansas; Mrs. Clara Wells, who lives in Sumas, this county; Mrs. Laura Smith, who also lives in Sumas; Isaac, who lives in Nooksack; David, who lives in Arkansas; William B., deceased; George W., James A., and Martha, deceased, who was a half-sister.

M. Deeter secured a good education in the public schools of his home neighborhood and remained under the parental roof until he was twenty years of age, when he was married. At that time he settled on forty acres of land in Lawrence county, Arkansas, which his father gave him, and he devoted himself to the operation of that farm until 1899, when he came to Washington. After remaining here a year, he went back to Arkansas, where he lived three years. In 1907 he returned to Washington and bought forty acres of land on Sumas creek, three miles south of Sumas, Whatcom county. The land was densely covered with stumps and brush, with no roads in the vicinity, but he set to work vigorously to create a home. He first built a house to shelter the family and then began the laborious task of clearing the land and getting it in shape for cultivation. He worked hard and continuously and now has practically all of his land under the plow and returning bounteous crops in return for the labor bestowed on it. He raises a general line of products, hay and grain being his main field crops, and he also has three acres in red raspberries that produce two thousand dollars worth of fruit yearly at cannery prices. He also gives considerable attention to dairying, keeping from ten to fifteen head of good Jersey cows and a pure-bred bull. He is methodical and practical, exercises sound judgment in all of his affairs and has made a splendid success of his ranch, which is now numbered among the best farms in the valley.

On March 13, 1889, Mr. Deeter was married to Miss Cora E. Ingrim, who was born at Atchison, Kansas, a daughter of Daniel and Ellen (Smith) Ingrim, both of whom also were natives of that state and were the parents of five children. The Ingrim family was one of the early families of the middle west, Mrs. Deeter's grandfather having run the first hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Deeter has been born eight children, namely: Mrs. Ruby Hindman, of Bellingham, who is the mother of three children, Mamie, Evert and Hazel.; Elmer, who died at the age of eight years; Mrs. Victoria Starr, who lives in Sumas and is the mother of two children, Vaunton and Netta; Thomas, deceased; Mrs. Aubra Deeter, who is the mother of two children, Donald and Gerald; Mrs. Alma Pencola, who has a son, Paul; Doris, who is a student in the normal school at Cheney, Washington; and Mrs. Clara Erho, who has two children, Floyd and Alvin. Alma and Clara are highly accomplished musicians.

Mr. Deeter's career has been characterized by untiring and persistent industry and has been crowned with well deserved success. In addition to his agricultural interests he has been interested in the lumber industry in Arkansas and in partnership with a brother has also owned a sawmill in this state. Sound business judgment and wise discrimination have characterized all his transactions and he has long enjoyed an enviable standing among his fellow citizens. He is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the welfare and prosperity of his section of the county, being an earnest advocate of good schools and improved roads, and maintains a liberal attitude toward benevolent and charitable objects. He is a friendly and companionable man, optimistic in his outlook on the world, and enjoys to a marked degree the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 281-282.

EWELL S. DICKSON

For many years E. S. Dickson was a resident of Whatcom county, and he was numbered among the active and enterprising farmers of his community. His life was one of signal usefulness and honor and his memory linked the pioneer epoch, with its primitive surroundings, with this later era of prosperity and achievement. He proved himself a man of forceful personality, sound convictions and mature business judgment, and the success which crowned his efforts was well merited. Mr. Dickson was a native of the state of Tennessee, born on the 22d of July, 1849, and was a son of Hiram and Nancy (Smith) Dickson, both of whom were also natives of Tennessee. The family moved to Missouri in 1855 as pioneers and the father bought nine hundred acres of land, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted the remainder of his life, his death occurring there about 1912. He long survived his wife, whose death occurred in 1862. They were the parents of six children. The subject's paternal great-grandfather, Douglas Dickson, came to this country from Scotland about 1800, settling first in North Carolina, where he later went to Tennessee and established a permanent home. E. S. Dickson secured his education in the district schools of Missouri, and he remained under the paternal roof until 1878, when he came to Walla Walla, Washington, by emigrant train. He homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, to the improvement and cultivation of which he applied himself until 1897, when he sold his farm and went to Skagit county, where he operated rented land for about two years. He then came to Whatcom county and bought forty acres of land in Delta township, about four miles west of Lynden. The land, which at that time was practically covered with timber and brush, is now nearly all cleared and under a high state of cultivation, the soil being well adapted to the raising of hay and grain. In 1905 Mr. Dickson built a substantial and commodious barn and in 1910 a comfortable and attractive home, the farm, with its improvements, now being a valuable and desirable property. Mr. Dickson gave considerable attention to dairying, keeping eight good milk cows, and in the management of the ranch he exercised splendid judgment and discrimination.

Mr. Dickson was married October 21, 1883, to Miss Mary Brown, who was born in Missouri, a daughter of Napoleon and Willy (Selene) Brown, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of Missouri, where they owned a five hundred acre farm. They were the parents of three children. Mrs. Dickson's paternal grandfather, Arabia Brown, came to this country from Ireland in an early day, settling first in Tennessee but later going to Missouri. He was a highly educated man and was successful in his business affairs, amassing a considerable fortune. Her maternal grandfather, Martin Selene, was a native of Germany. He came to the United States about 1800 and located in New Orleans, where he became a successful merchant. His death occurred there in 1835. Mrs. Dickson is well educated, having been graduated from the Cape Girardeau Normal School, Missouri, in 1883, after which she taught school for ten years in Missouri and two terms in Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Dickson were born six children, namely: Carroll R., May Lee, Mrs. Dora Meeker, Osa, deceased, Clarence and Max. The last named, who lives in Seattle, is a veteran of the World war, having served overseas for one year as a member of the Aviation Corps.

As a man of ability, sturdy integrity and usefulness, and as a citizen representative of the utmost loyalty Mr. Dickson well merited the consideration of his fellowmen, and his life record is deserving of a place in this publication, which mentions those who have sustained the civic and material prosperity of Whatcom county. He was kindly and generous in his attitude toward all benevolent objects, while his genial and friendly manner commended him to the good favor of all with whom he came into contact.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 332-333.

OSCAR ERICKSON

With the courage to dare and the will to do, Oscar Erickson has proven his ability to cope with conditions in a country far removed from the land of his birth and is now numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Lawrence township. He was born July 3, 1884, and is a native of Finland. His parents were Semon and Maria Erickson, the latter of whom still resides in Finland, but the father has passed away.

Oscar Erickson came to the United States in 1904, when a young man of twenty, and first located in the middle west, spending three years in Illinois. In 1906 he came to Whatcom county and purchased a tract of thirty acres in Lawrence township. He has enriched the soil by scientific methods and is engaged in general farming. He raises fine varieties of berries and finds a ready market for his produce. He has a well equipped dairy and is also engaged in the poultry business. Mr. Erickson has built a good house and barn and his place presents a neat and well kept appearance. He possesses a studious nature and is well informed on everything pertaining to his line of work.

In 1908 Mr. Erickson married Miss Sanna Luanna and to their union were born four children, one of whom died in infancy. The others are: Helge, Esther and Lina. Mr. Erickson is a member of the Whatcom County Poultrymen's Association and in politics follows and independent course, voting according to the dictates of his judgment. He is deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished and may well be proud of his farm. It is one of the best in the district and contains a flowing gas well, which was discovered in 1924 and which is now used for home fuel. Mr. Erickson is deeply attached to the country of his adoption and a large circle of sincere friends is evidence of his personal popularity.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 506.

CLIFFORD R. FARNSWORTH

Among the men of enterprise and ability who have aided in promoting Whatcom county's great industry, none stands higher in public esteem than does Clifford R. Farnsworth, manager of the Everson business of the Carnation Milk Products Company and for thirteen years the incumbent of this important position. A native of Connecticut, he was born in 1877, and his parents, James A. and Ellen M. Farnsworth, have passed away.

Clifford R. Farnsworth received his higher education in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University and was graduated with the class of 1897. He entered the dairy industry in the east, becoming manager of the interests of the New England Dairy Company, and in 1905 he journeyed to the Pacific coast. He spent some time in Los Angeles, California, and was next employed as a surveyor by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, working in the states of Washington and Idaho. In 1910 he was sent to Everson by the Carnation Milk Products Company, and since 1913 he has had charge of the local plant. He is one of the most efficient and trustworthy representatives of this large corporation and by his achievements has amply demonstrated that he is the right man for the office. In the winter of 1909 the firm purchased the business of the Nooksack Valley Condensed Milk Company, established about 1907, and has since rebuilt the plant, which now covers an entire block. It is one of the largest establishments controlled by the Carnation interests and furnishes employment to about seventy persons. The company collects milk from farmers within a radius of fifteen miles and has constituted the dominant force in the upbuilding of the dairy industry in this favored region.

In 1907 Mr. Farnsworth was married to Miss Mary McMichael, of Idaho, and to their union has been born a son, Edwin. Mr. Farnsworth is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Bellingham and the Community Club of Everson, and he votes the republican ticket. His integrity, business acumen and public spirit have won him a secure place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 73.

JOHN O. FOLSOM

A fine type of the younger generation of business men to whom Bellingham looks for its future growth and prosperity, J. O. Folsom is well known in automotive circles of the city and represents one of its prominent families. He was born in Kansas in 1898, and his parents, A. E. and Susie E. Folsom, were among the pioneer settlers of that state. The mother is a native of New York and the father's birth occurred in Iowa in 1859. He came to Bellingham in 1916 and in 1920 was joined by the subject of this sketch in forming the Auto Top Company, in which three others are also financially interested. The business is located at Nos. 112-14 Grand avenue and the firm carries a full line of automobile tops, bodies, fenders and curtains, also upholstering cars. The founders of the concern are men of enterprise, ability and keen discernment, and as a result of their combined efforts the business has made rapid strides. The firm is prompt and dependable in filling orders and its members are men of high standing.

In 1920 J. O. Folsom married Miss Alice M. Claytor, who was born in Virginia. She went to Nebraska during her childhood and in 1905 came to Bellingham in company with her mother, Mrs. Nancy E. Claytor. To Mr. and Mrs. Folsom has been born a daughter, Margaret E. Mr. Folsom enlisted in the United States army, February 8, 1918, and was assigned to duty in the camp supply department, serving until March 8, 1919, when he was honorably discharged. He belongs to the American Legion and his father is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. They have thoroughly allied their interests with those of Bellingham and the family is highly respected in the community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 710.

MICHAEL H. GANNON

Michael H. Gannon was a resident of Whatcom county for thirty-five years and there were few men in the county who had a wider and better acquaintance than he. He was born in Ohio, in 1852, of Irish parentage, and was reared in Wisconsin, to which state the family moved when he was a child. At the age of fifteen years he started out on his own account, working in the great timber camps in Michigan, where he followed logging during the '70s and early '80s at the height of the lumber industry in that state. His brothers, who also were experienced timbermen, had come to Whatcom county in the middle '80s and were engaged in logging in the Lynden district, where he joined with in 1886, and was for a year employed in the timber around Lynden.

Mr. Gannon then established his home in Bellingham, where for some time he was employed on the police force and later was made a court bailiff. During his years of experience at the courthouse he gained a wide acquaintance which covered all parts of the county. Upon the completion of this service there he was employed in the mills and later connected with the city waterworks department, being thus employed until his last illness. Mr. Gannon died at his home in Bellingham, September 11, 1923, and his funeral was in charge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which fraternal organization he had been an active member for almost forty years, and in which he had attained the degrees of both the encampment and the canton.

In August, 1885, at Montague, Michigan, Mr. Gannon was united in marriage to Miss Alfaretta Barron, who survives him, together with two children: Beulah Marion, who is married to Carl B. Schulz and has two daughters, Louise A. and Elizabeth C.; and George Stanley, a Bellingham postman, who married Helen Chrzanowski and has a son, George. George S. Gannon is a member of Company K, the local until of the United States National Guard of Washington. He is a skilled musician and has something more than a local reputation as [printing error].

Mrs. Gannon was born on a farm in Hillsdale county, Michigan, and is a daughter of Hiram and Mary Jane (Fowler) Barron, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. When thirteen years of age she became self-supporting. At the age of five years she accompanied her parents on their removal to Hart, Oceana county, Michigan, where she later prepared for teaching school, a profession she followed for three years, at the end of which time she took up millinery and dressmaking and was thus engaged in Michigan until she came to the coast with her husband and the little daughter that had been born to them. When the family took up their residence in Bellingham Mrs. Gannon resumed her vocation as a dressmaker and was for years thus engaged, helping materially in the family maintenance. In 1892 Mrs. Gannon became a member of the Bellingham lodge of the Rebekahs and she ever since has been one of the most active and influential promoters of the affairs of that organization in the state of Washington. Twice she had passed through the chairs of the local lodge, in 1906 was elected treasurer of the Rebekah Assembly of this state and was in succession advanced to the highest position in that assembly, being head of the organization during the term beginning in 1909-1910. During this period she also was elected and served as a member of the board of trustees of the orphans' home maintained by the organization which was later merged with the Odd Fellow Home, on the board of which she has since served. In 1923 she was elected to represent the organization in the national grand lodge in Jacksonville, Florida. Her daughter, Mrs. Schulz, also is an active member of the Rebekahs. Mrs. Gannon likewise has membership in the Order of Eastern Star, being past worthy matron of Maple Leaf Chapter, No. 58, of Bellingham; for years has been the scribe of the local lodge of the Tribe of Ben Hur and is also a member of the Women of Woodcraft. She is a democrat, as was her late husband, and has ever given her interested attention to local civic affairs. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Gannon has continued to make her home in Bellingham and resides at 2222 Victor street.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 798-801.

FRANK G. GRASHER

F. G. Grasher occupies a prominent place in the esteem of the people of Delta township and is universally respected, for in all his business affairs fair dealing has been his watchword. He has not been neglectful of his duty in any of the avenues of life and has long ranked among our active and enterprising farmers, being an advocate of up-to-date methods. A native of the state of Missouri, his birth occurred on the 26th of December, 1884, and he is a son of Louis and Sophia Grasher, both of whom were natives of Illinois. In 1870 the father moved to Missouri, where he bought a farm, to the operation of which he devoted himself until his death, which occurred in 1925, one year after the death of his wife. They became the parents of ten children, all but one of whom are living, namely: John, who died in infancy; William and Mary, twins; F. G., the subject of this sketch; Charles and Albert, twins; and Adolph, Valentine, Lena and Harvey.

F. G. Grasher secured his education in the public schools of his native state and remained on the home farm until he had attained his majority, when he came to Whatcom county, Washington, and went to work in a shingle mill, which occupation he followed for seven years, being in the employ of the Ed Gooding Shingle Company. In 1913 Mr. Grasher bought forty acres of land in Delta township, six and a half miles southwest of Lynden, a small part of which was cleared. He now has thirteen acres cleared and raises good crops of hay and potatoes. He keeps five good milk cows and two hundred laying hens, from both of which sources he derives a nice income, besides that which he obtains from the ranch. He has made a number of good improvements on the place and is now very comfortably and pleasantly situated.

In September, 1913, Mr. Grasher was married to Miss Elizabeth Harter, a daughter of Vincenz and Kathrina (Ringelspacher) Harter. Her father was a native of Baden, Germany, when he came to the United States in 1881, locating first in Indiana. He was there engaged in farming until 1885, when he came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Delta township, where he now lives. To him and his wife were born six children, namely: Elizabeth, Mrs. Grasher; Martin, who is a veteran of the World war, having served nineteen months overseas; and Mrs. Louisa Getchell, Herman, Mrs. Katherine Rudy and Freda. To Mr. and Mrs. Grasher have been born three children, namely: Edna, born March 20, 1914; Albert, born January 4, 1916; and Martin, born December 27, 1920. Mr. Grasher is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He has shown a fine public spirit, being deeply interested in the welfare and prosperity of his community. By reason of his indefatigable labor, honest effort and sound judgment he has not only realized well merited material prosperity but has also earned the high esteem of all with whom he has been associated.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 883-884.

JOHN and RAGLA HAWKINSON

Wholly devoted to home and domestic duties, doing through all the best years of her life the sacred work that comes within her sphere, there is not much to record concerning the life of the average woman. And yet what station so dignified, what relation so loving and endearing, as those of home-making wifehood and motherhood. In creating a new home, under strange conditions among strange people, it required a good deal of fortitude and patient toil and woman has notably borne her part of the burden. As man's equal in every respect save the physical, and his superior in the gentle and tender elements of life, she deserves her share of notice in the record of the community which she has honored by her life. Mrs. Ragla Hawkinson, who for a number of years has been one of the most highly esteemed women in Ferndale township, is a native of Norway, and a daughter of Nels and Olina (Gunderson) Nelson, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of that country, where the father carried on farming. She was educated in the public schools of her home neighborhood and, on April 8, 1896, was married to John Hawkinson, who was a native of Norway and the son of Hawkin and Thala Hawkinson, also natives of Norway where they died.

Three days after their marriage, Mr. Hawkinson left his bride in the homeland and came to the United States to establish a home for her. He soon engaged in the fishing industry and went to Alaska as foreman for a big fish-packing plant. After awhile he returned to Norway, where he remained for two years, but again came to the United States for a few years, going to work for the Astoria Packing Company, with whom he remained for three years. For two years he was in the employ of the Portland Packing Company and five years with the Pacific American Canning Company, being with he last-named company at the time of his death. He was considered an expert in the fishing and canning business, his services always being in demand, and he commanded a splendid salary. He was steady, industrious and intelligent, diligent in all his work and considered unusually competent in handling men. He always set an example of indomitable energy and commanded the respect of the men under him and the confidence of his employers.

In 1910 Mr. Hawkinson brought his family to the United States, locating in Whatcom county, Washington, where he bought thirty acres of land near Mountain View. They lived there seven years, and then he bought five acres of land on the Guide Meridian road, which he cleared and cultivated and improved with a good set of farm buildings. After living there five years, in 1920 he bought eighty acres of land in Ferndale township, sixty acres of which is cleared, and here his widow and her children are now living. The ranch is well improved in every respect, the home is comfortable and attractive, and Mrs. Hawkinson is very nicely situated. They keep eleven good cows, some of them thoroughbreds, a pure-bred bull, and about three hundred laying hens. They carry on general farming operations, raising wheat, oats, corn and potatoes, and from the farm, a very satisfactory income is derived. To Mr. and Mrs. Hawkinson were born seven children, namely: Mrs. Lena Jacobson, who has a daughter, Bernice; Mrs. Thala Dyrland, who is the mother of two children, Ervin E. and Jean; Nels, Hawkin, Lewis, Jessie and Ruth, who are at home. Mrs. Hawkinson and her children are members of the United Lutheran church. Miss Mrs. Hawkinson, with the assistance of her children, is very capably managing the ranch, raising fine crops and carrying on the work so well inaugurated by the husband and father.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 651-652.

ALBERT HENKE

Albert Henke is one of the valuable citizens whom the old world has furnished to the new and is a prosperous farmer with a wide acquaintance in Lawrence township, in which he has made his home for thirty-eight years, acquiring an intimate knowledge of pioneer life. He was born September 15, 1855, and is a native of Germany. When a young man of twenty-five he came to the United States and first located in Texas. He lived in that state for five years and then journeyed to the Pacific coast, spending three years in Stockton, California. In August, 1887, he came to Whatcom county and in the following year entered a homestead in Lawrence township, casting in his lot with its early settlers. There were no roads and his supplies were secured in Bellingham, eleven miles distant. He would make the trip in a day, walking over the narrow, uneven trail and often bearing upon his back a burden of one hundred pounds. The first home of the family was made of split cedar logs and is still standing on the place. Mr. Henke secured a quarter section and through strenuous effort succeeded in clearing his land and bringing it under the plow. He has built a modern home and good barns and utilizes up-to-date appliances to facilitate the work of the fields. He is engaged in general farming and also operates a dairy. His work is carefully planned and is performed with system and thoroughness.

In 1881 Mr. Henke married Miss Augusta Abram, also a native of Germany, and their union was terminated by her death in 1920. In their family were seven children: Hugh and Ernest, both of whom passed away in Texas; Ida, who became the wife of Nicholas Garno, both being now deceased; Ollie, who was married to C. P. Rogers, of British Columbia, Canada, and has one child, a daughter; Hulda, the wife of Turner Riddle, who operates a ranch near the Henke homestead; Emma, the deceased wife of Walter Baker; and Henry, who has also passed away.

Along fraternal lines Mr. Henke is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and in politics he is nonpartisan, casting his ballot for the candidate whom he deems best fitted for office. He is deeply interested in all matters affecting the growth and progress of his district, particularly along educational lines, and served for many years on the school board. Resolute and energetic, he has never lost sight of his objective, and success has crowned his well directed labors. He has always been considerate of the rights and privileges of others, guiding his life by the Golden Rule, and his highly esteemed throughout the township.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 501-502.

JOHAN JORGENSEN

Prominent in relation to our national population statistics is the fact that a remarkably large number of Norwegians and people of Norwegian descent are now living in this country. Norway is noted the world over for the industry, patience, intelligence, morality and sturdiness of its citizens. These qualities have been exemplified in the lives of the immigrants from that country, and they are now blended into our national makeup, the result being that our cosmopolitan population is the strongest and most effective in accomplishments of any nation on the earth. Of this people comes Johan Jorgensen, one of the best known and most enterprising farmers of Delta township and a man who has been an important factor in the development and prosperity of his section of the county. Mr. Jorgensen was born in Norway in April, 1878, and is a son of Jergen and Enger Johnson, both of whom have spent their lives in that country, the father having been born in 1844 and the mother in 1854. Of their twelve children, nine are living, namely: Jantoft, Johan, John, Ole, Karl, Nikolai, Matilda, Marie and Anna.

Johan Jorgensen attended the public schools of his native land and then, during the greater part of the time, was engaged in the fishing business until 1904, when he emigrated to the United States. He came at once to Whatcom county and located first in Bellingham, where he lived for seven years, engaging in fishing during the summers and working in sawmills in winter. During that period he spent one year in Alaska. In 1911 he bought sixty acres of land in Delta township, a part of the old Spencer homestead, and proceeded at once to the task of clearing the tract of the stumps and brush which covered it. This has been a laborious task, but he now has twenty-five acres cleared and in cultivation, his farm being one of the valuable ranches of this locality. Mr. Jorgensen keeps six good Jersey milk cows and three hundred laying hens, from both of which sources he derives a nice income. His principal crops are hay, grain and potatoes.

Mr. Jorgensen was married, September 3, 1903, to Miss Jakobine Edwards, who was born in Norway, a daughter of Edward and Andrea Mikelsen, both of whom were natives and lifelong residents of that country, where they passed away. Of their family of ten children seven are now living, namely: Markus, Hans, Iver, Mikel, Hanna, Jakobine and Elizabeth. To Mr. and Mrs. Jorgensen have been born five children, as follows: Jennie, born October 30, 1904, who was graduated from the Lynden high school and from Wilson's Business College in Bellingham and is now employed in an insurance office in the last named place; Einar, born March 5, 1906, who is now taking the business course in high school; Jalmar, born November 9, 1911; Esther, born March 12, 1913; and Harold, born February 14, 1919. Mr. Jorgensen is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association. He has long been deeply interested in everything pertaining in any way to the prosperity of his community, giving his active support to all measures advanced for the betterment of the public welfare. He is a man of progressive tendencies and in the management of his farm has shown that he is up-to-date and enterprising. In 1911 he built a fine house, erected a new barn in 1914 and has made a number of other permanent improvements, so that the ranch presents a very attractive appearance, indicating the owner to be a man of good judgment and excellent taste. He has been very accommodating in his relations with his neighbors, kindly and genial in his social affairs and generous in his attitude toward all worthy charitable objects. He is a man of splendid qualities of character, elements which have been recognized and appreciated by his fellow citizens, and no one in the community stands higher than he in public confidence and regard.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 793-794.

CARL LEVIEN

The present solid prosperity that characterizes Whatcom county may be attributed largely to her pioneers. In the days of her settlement, when a wilderness was the only welcome tendered the strangers who came here, little to encourage and much to discourage fell to their lot. But these sturdy men who came to their new home with a determination to succeed, and who worked persistently and honestly, became later the prosperous and honored citizens of this locality. In this class stands Carl Levien, who after years of honest and successful effort is now living retired in Blaine, enjoying a well deserved rest from the strenuous labors which marked his career after arriving in this locality. Mr. Levien was born in the north of Germany on the 29th of December, 1857, and is a son of Fritz and Sophie (Warnke) Levien, both of whom also were natives of the fatherland, where they spent their lives and died. They were the parents of six children: Carl, Henry, August, Louise, Johanna and Fred, the four last named of whom are deceased.

Carl Levien secured his education in the public schools of his native land and then learned the trade of a harness maker, which he followed until August, 1882, when he came to the United States. On arriving here, he went direct to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he remained about fourteen months, at the end of which time he went to work with logging crews in the woods of Wisconsin. He was thus employed for about seven years and then, in June, 1889, came to Whatcom county, Washington, and bought forty acres of land in Delta township, seven miles east of Blaine. The tract was densely covered with timber and brush, and after erecting a log cabin he entered upon the laborious task of clearing it. He created a good farm and lived there for five years, when he sold the place and moved to Custer township, near Blaine, where he bought thirty acres of land, also covered with timber, and again entered upon the task of carving a farm out of the wilderness. He succeeded in developing a splendid homestead, to the cultivation and improvement of which he devoted himself for twenty-six years, or until 1919, when he sold the place and moved to a comfortable home in Blaine, where he is now living.

On September 17, 1882, Mr. Levien was married to Miss Mary Hostrup, who was born in Germany, a daughter of Andrew and Anna (Slynks) Hostrup, both of whom were natives of Germany and came to the United States in 1885. They located in Washington and here spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying in 1901 and the mother in 1910. They were the parents of two children: Mary (Mrs. Levien), and Anna. To Mr. and Mrs. Levien have been born nine children: Henry, Andrew, Fred, Charles, Anna, August, deceased, Herman, deceased, August and Mary. Herman enlisted for service in the World war and was killed October 5, 1918, in the Argonne offensive. Mr. Levien is a man of splendid personal qualifications, genial and friendly in manner, interested in all public questions affecting the welfare or prosperity of his community and supporting all worthy benevolent object. Because of these qualities he has long enjoyed an enviable standing in the confidence and esteem of the entire community.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 540-541.

WILLIS S. LISTON

W. S. Liston, one of the well known landowners of Mountain View township, is a progressive dairyman and orchardist, with a well kept and profitably tended place on rural main route No. 2 out of Ferndale. He was born on a farm in Sciota county, Ohio, December 8, 1866, and is a son of William Liston, who also was born there, a member of one of the pioneer families of that section of the state, his grandfather, a Pennsylvanian, having been one of the original landowners in that county. The old Liston tract still is held in the family. The pioneer Liston was one of a party that went down the river seeking new lands following the close of the Revolutionary war and became settlers in what now is the Portsmouth neighborhood. This party, proceeding by flatboats, had some thrilling adventures by the way. On one occasion three of the men left the boats in quest of wild turkeys, the apparent calls of which had been heard in the deep woods lining the banks of the river. All three were slain by Indians, the apparent turkey calls having been but a decoy sounded by the lurking redskins.

Reared on the home farm in Sciota county, W. S. Liston received good schooling and remained at home until he was twenty-three years of age when, in 1890, he went to western Kansas, preempted a tract of land and proceeded to prove up on his claim. After securing title he traded that tract for another quarter section, but the excessive drouth of that period soon discouraged him with Kansas prospects and he went back to Ohio. Three years later he returned to Kansas and some time afterward went into the Cherokee Nation and afterward into North Dakota, "prospecting around." In 1899 a low state of health brought him to the coast, seeking relief, and after a short stay in Seattle he became so well pleased with the situation and prospects here that he decided to make Washington his home. In that same year he entered claim to a homestead tract on Bell creek, four miles north of Deming in this county, did the essential clearing on the place and proved up on it. In 1903 he marred a Whatcom county school teacher and for two years thereafter was engaged in farming in Idaho. He then returned to Washington and after a year spent at Sunnyside in Yakima county, went to Los Angeles, where he became connected with the operations of the government survey, and in that city and at Pasadena he remained for three years. He then returned to Whatcom county and helped reclaim a two hundred acre tract of tide flats in the Marietta vicinity, at the same time establishing his home on the George Nolte ranch, which he operated as a tenant in charge. For three years he remained there and then bought a tract of timber land in Mountain View township, cleared it and remained there for three years, at the end of which time, in 1917, he bought the tract of forty acres on which he now is living, and he has since made his home there, he and his family being comfortably situated. Mr. Liston gives his chief attention to dairying and fruit culture and has a good dairy plant and a fine orchard, this latter including cherries, pears, apples and prunes. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

It was on January 28, 1903, at Bellingham, that Mr. Liston was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Wilson, and they have two sons: Paul Liston, who is employed at Bellingham, and Philip Liston, who is at home. Mrs. Liston was born in Missouri and is a daughter of C. T. and Isadora (Van Trese) Wilson, the latter of whom was born in Ohio and is still living, now past eighty-six years of age. The late C. T. Wilson, who died in Bellingham, June 30, 1916, was a Kentuckian by birth and a farmer by vocation. For many years he was a resident of Missouri but came to Washington in 1904 and here spent his last days. Mrs. Liston came to this county in 1892 on a visit and while here took a course in the Lynden Business College, the first institution of its kind opened in this part of the state. She then returned to Missouri, where she was engaged in teaching until her return to Whatcom county in 1899. She took a supplemental course in the State Normal School at Bellingham and was engaged in teaching here until after her marriage.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 924-925.

RUSSEL C. LONGWOOD

Russel C. Longwood is a well known and progressive young merchant of Bellingham, being the proprietor of an up-to-date shoe store on Cornwall avenue, that city. He was born in Kansas, July 20, 1891, and is a son of J. W. and Sarah E. Longwood, who became residents of Bellingham in 1916, their son Russel having settled here about four years prior to that time.

Russel C. Longwood completed his schooling with a two years' course in the State Agricultural College in Kansas. In 1912, the year in which he attained his majority, he came to Bellingham, and his interests ever since have centered here. In 1918 he entered the army to serve his country in the World war, and he was in service until mustered out some time after the close of the conflict. In August, 1920, he bought the Berg Brothers shoe store at No. 1312 Cornwall avenue, and he has since been engaged in business there as the proprietor of a well stocked shoe store, also having a modern equipment for shoe repairing.

On May 4, 1918, in Bellingham, Mr. Longwood was united in marriage to Miss Nan Hughes of that city, and they have one child, a son, James Longwood. Mr. and Mrs. Longwood are republicans and are deeply interested in local civic and community affairs. Mr. Longwood is a member of the Bellingham Kiwanis Club, whose motto is "We Build," and in his commercial activities he tries to live up the high constructive principle embodied in that motto.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 62.

REV. DUNCAN M. McPHAIL

Rev. Duncan M. McPhail had filled the pulpit of the First Baptist church of Bellingham for a period of about eleven years when he was called to the home beyond on the 28th of April 1924. He was a native of Melford, Inverness county, Cape Breton island, Nova Scotia, Canada, where his parents had settled on leaving the land of hills and heather. Both his father and mother were born in Ayr, Scotland, the home of Robert Burns.

Duncan M. McPhail was a lad of eleven years when he made his way from Cape Breton Island to Boston, Massachusetts, where he arrived alone and friendless and with but twenty-five cents in his pocket. Through the assistance of an employment agency he obtained work on a farm, which was owned by a woman who became sincerely interested in him and who stimulated his desire for an education. He pursued night school courses and in the daylight hours learned the blacksmith's trade, at which he worked for a time. Subsequently he spent one year as a student in Worcester Academy of Worcester, Massachusetts, and then for a similar period attended Colgate Academy of Hamilton, New York, while later her matriculated in Brown University of Providence, Rhode Island, from which institution he was graduated.

Rev. McPhail began preaching the gospel while pursuing his studies in Brown University, and after the completion of his course therein he followed his holy calling in various town of the east. It was in 1904 that he journeyed across the country to Sacramento, California, where for six years he served as pastor of the Calvary Baptist church, which he erected, and about 1910 he removed to Portland, Oregon, where he filled the pastorate of the Arleta Baptist church for three years. On the expiration of that period he came to Bellingham, Washington, in September, 1913, and assumed the pastorate of the First Baptist church, of which he continued in charge throughout the remainder of his life.

The First Baptist church of Bellingham was organized on the 1st of July, 1883,  with but six members, and was the principal house of worship in the city at that time. Its Bible school was organized in May, 1884. Its first edifice, which was erected on I street, near Holly street, is now the property of the Christian Advent church. The present house of worship of the Baptist denomination at Bellingham was built in 1895. The following named have occupied the pulpit of the First Baptist church during the period of its existence: Rev. J. Wickser, one year; Rev. J. Lennie, one year; Rev. J. Wickser, two years; Rev. W. G. Jone, one year; Rev. J. F. Norris, one year; Rev. E. M. Bliss, two years; Rev. C. F. Brownley, three years; supply pastors, three years; Rev. F. A. Agar, two years; Rev. M. C. Cole, three years; Rev. Gillman Parker, three years; Rev. George R. Varney, three years; Rev. T. H. Cornish, three years; Rev. A. Sterling Barner, one year; Rev. J. F. Crop, two years; Rev. Duncan M. McPhail, who during his pastorate of eleven years built additions to the church costing seventeen thousand dollars; and Rev. Martin Storgaard, who has served as pastor since October, 1924. The First Baptist church of Bellingham now has a membership of about four hundred.

In 1903 Rev. McPhail was united in marriage to Mary E. Eldredge, a native of Massachusetts, in which state her parents also were born. The Eldredge family was established on American soil in colonial days and eight of that name participated in the Revolutionary war, while the father of Mrs. McPhail served in the Civil war. Rev. and Mrs. McPhail became the parents of two children: Sterling E., who is a graduate of the Bellingham high school and is now in the employ of the Morse Hardware Company of Bellingham; and Miriam W., who is a graduate of the Bellingham high school and the State Normal School at Bellingham.

Rev. McPhail was a stanch republican in politics and a citizen whose influence was ever exerted on the side of progress, reform and advancement. He became a charter member of the Kiwanis Club and withheld his aid and cooperation from no movement or measure looking toward the upbuilding of the community. He possessed marked oratorical ability and during the period of the World war rendered patriotic service to the government in connection with the various drives. A Scottish Rite Mason, he was a worthy exemplar of the teachings and purposes of the craft, and he also belongs to Phi Kappa Psi, a Greek letter fraternity. When he passed away, Bellingham mourned the loss of a loved minister of the gospel and a valued citizen, his friends missed a cherished companion and his wife and children were bereft of a devoted and affectionate husband and father. As a manifestation of the respect and esteem in which Rev. McPhail was held, his Masonic friends erected a beautiful monument in his memory.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 358-361.

OLE MELSETH

Ole Melseth, who died at his farm home in Mountain View township in the fall of 1924 and whose widow still is making her home there, was of European birth but had been a resident of this country and of the state of Washington for almost a quarter of a century. He was born in Aalesund in the province of Trondhjem in the kingdom of Norway on January 21, 1876, and was a son of Magnus and Olave (Fause) Melseth, farming people, the former of whom died in 1882, leaving a widow and three children, a daughter and two sons. Ole Melseth was six years of age when his father died and he early was thrown pretty largely on his own resources for a livelihood. He remained with his mother, farming and fishing, until he was twenty-four years of age and then, in 1900, the year following his marriage, came to the United States and proceeded on out into Washington, locating at Seattle. There he secured employment with the Preston-King Lumber Company and began working in the logging camps and was thus engaged for four years, at the end of which time, in 1904, he returned to his native land and was gone for about eighteen months, during which time he helped to rebuild his old home town, Aalesund, which had been practically destroyed by fire.

Upon his return to Seattle Mr. Melseth resumed his labors in the lumber camps and was thus engaged until 1907, when he and his family took up their residence in Whatcom county, settling on a tract of fifty-six acres of land he had bought in Mountain View township, the place where his widow now is living. This was uncleared when he took hold of it and he had the difficult task of clearing and improving the place, a task which in time he had pretty well completed and had developed there a good piece of property, all but about twenty-acres of the place now being cleared and under cultivation. To his original holding Mr. Melseth added by purchase an adjoining tract of forty acres and had come to be regarded as one of the substantial farmers and dairymen of that neighborhood, even as he was one of the pioneers, for when he located there the highway had not yet reached his place and his outlet was the old woods trail. Mr. Melseth died on September 11, 1924, and at his passing left a good memory, for he had done well his part in general community development.

It was in June, 1899, in their native Norway, that Ole Melseth and Hannah Raistad were united in marriage, the ceremony taking place at the bride's home in Orstkog. Mrs. Melseth is a daughter of Han and Jensina (Grevstad) Raistad, who were farming people in Norway, the latter still living. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Melseth has continued to make her home on the dairy farm which she had helped her husband to develop and, with her son, Helmar Melseth, is carrying on operations there quite successfully, the products of their well equipped dairy being handled through the agency of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association. They also have a well equipped and well stocked poultry yard and are connected with the Poultry Association. A thriving young orchard on the place is a valuable asset to their holdings and they are doing very well. Besides the son, Helmar, born in 1900, Mrs. Melseth has five daughters - Jennie, Olga, Marie, Hilda and Emma, the last three named still at home, the last two still in school. Jennie was graduated from the State Normal School in Bellingham and is engaged in teaching at Lyman in the neighboring county of Skagit. Olga is employed in a commercial establishment in Bellingham. Mrs. Melseth has ever given earnest attention to the general social affairs of her community and for three years rendered public service as a member of the local school board. The Melseth home place is located on rural mail route 1 out of Blaine and the family is quite pleasantly situated there.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 819-820.

ALEXANDER V. MILLER

Alexander V. Miller, one of Bellingham's pioneer shoe merchants and highly esteemed citizens, departed this life on the 6th of June, 1904, at the comparatively early age of forty-one years. He was born in Denmark in 1863 and there learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed in his native country until his emigration to the United States as a young man of twenty-seven years. It was in 1890 that he settled in Whatcom county, Washington, with his wife and children, establishing his home at Fairhaven, which is now a part of Bellingham, but they remained there only a short time then moved to their present location. He purchased a shoemaker's shop on Elk street of which he remained the proprietor for a number of years and next acquired a half interest in a shoe store on Holly street, of which, however, he soon disposed. Subsequently he opened another shoe shop on Elk street and this he conducted successfully throughout the remainder of his life, developing a business of extensive and profitable proportions.

In 1885, in Denmark, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Ella M. Olsen, a native of that country. She there learned the dairy trade, which is largely confined to women in Denmark. When only about nineteen years of age she supervised the making of butter and cheese on an estate on which there were about two hundred cows, directing the labors of eight assistants. She continued in this work until the time of her marriage and since the death of her husband has maintained her home at 503 Gladstone street, Bellingham.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the parents of three sons and three daughters. Louis W. Miller, a sash and door manufacturer of Bellingham, is married and has two children. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Olga D. Miller has for a number of years been buyer for the women's clothing establishment of J. B. Wahl at Bellingham. Christina N. Miller became the wife of Clyde W. Larson and is the mother of two children. Arthur H. Miller, a printer by trade, is married and has one child. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is a worthy emeplar if the teachings and purposes of the craft. Agnes M. Miller, who gave her hand in marriage to Ernest Innersen, resides at Stanwood, Washington. Carl C. Miller is associated with his brother Louis in the conduct of a sash and door factory at Bellingham. He has membership in the local organization of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Two is his sisters are graduates of the State Normal School at Bellingham and have taught school at Ferndale and Stanwood.

Alexander V. Miller was a consistent member of the Lutheran church, to which his widow and children also belong. Fraternally he was identified with the Modern Woodmen of America and with the Danish Brotherhood. His course in every relation of life was actuated by high ideals and worthy motives, and his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. His widow, who has continuously resided in Bellingham during the past thirty-six years, has also won many warm friends in the city.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 574-577.

ALEXANDER HUGH MONTGOMERY

Character as capital stands supreme in the commercial world of today. This is the secret of the success which crowned the efforts of Alexander Hugh Montgomery, who founded his business upon the substantial qualities of honor, integrity and trustworthiness, to which he always closely adhered, and for more than twenty years he enjoyed an enviable reputation in business circles of Bellingham as organizer and manager of the firm of A. H. Montgomery & Son, which is one of the oldest fuel and transfer establishments in the Pacific northwest.

Mr. Montgomery was born in Chicago, Illinois, August 8, 1855, a son of Alexander and Laura (Bliss) Montgomery, and received his education in the schools of Westfield, New York. In 1880 he married and established his home in Parsons, Kansas, where he was for some time engaged in railway service, later moving to Fort Scott, Kansas, where he took up the transfer and fuel business. In 1888 he closed out his interests there and with his family came to Washington, settling on a farm in the vicinity of Chehalis, not long afterward moving to a farm in the vicinity of Napa, California, where he remained until in 1901, in which year he established his home at Bellingham. Upon coming here Mr. Montgomery established the fuel business and built up the extensive plant now conducted on Railroad avenue by the Montgomery Fuel Company, which also handles a large general transfer business and maintains two wood yards in addition to its coal yard. Owing to ill health resulting from injuries sustained in an automobile accident, A. H. Montgomery retired from active management in the affairs pertaining to the business, and his son and former partner, Merle A. Montgomery, became the managing head.

The efforts of A. H. Montgomery were not all directed along the lines of money-making projects, however, and many a patriotic and civic movement gained strength because of his support and assistance. For twelve years he was a member of the board of directors of the Young Men's Christian Association, of which he also served as president. His religious views were in accord with the doctrines and teachings of the Presbyterian church, in which he acted as an elder and trustee, but he later transferred his membership to the Christian Missionary Alliance. Mr. Montgomery fought and won in the battle of life, outdistancing many who began their business careers under more favorable circumstances, and he made his efforts count as a factor in advancing the interests of his city. His demise on March 19, 1926, when in the seventieth year of his age, brought a deep sense of bereavement to his many friends as well as to the members of his immediate family, and his memory will be cherished as a blessed benediction.

In 1880 Mr. Montgomery was married to Miss Abbie V. Marshall, who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of James and Hannah (Akins) Marshall. To this union were born five children, namely: Laura Bliss, deceased; Merle A., mentioned above, who is the present heard of the Montgomery Fuel Company of Bellingham; Florence, the wife of E. C. Galbraith, now residing in Helena, Montana; John R. Montgomery, who continues to make his home in Bellingham; and Emma, the wife of T. H. Wakeman of San Pedro, California.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 144-145.

ROY E. MUTCHLER

A review of the life of R. E. Mutchler must of necessity be brief and general in its character, for to enter fully into the details of his career would far transcend the limits of this article. However, sufficient is presented, we believe, to prove him entitled to the high place which he now holds in the confidence and regard of his fellow citizens.

Mr. Mutchler was born in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1875, and is a son of C. and Phoebe (Pierce) Mutchler, the latter of whom was a native of Illinois. The father was born near Baden, Germany, received a good education in the public schools of his native land and when about eighteen years of age came to the United States. He received a pass from the government permitting him temporary absence from the country, on the condition that he return for the prescribed military service, but he did not avail himself of the latter privilege. He first located in Pennsylvania, where he remained for a few years, and then, after his marriage, he went to Indiana, locating at Kokomo, where he remained about two years. He then returned to Illinois, locating south of Aurora, where he lived until 1883, when he went to Plymouth county, Iowa, remaining there until 1892. In the later year Mr. Mutchler came to Lynden township, Whatcom county, and bought twelve acres of land, which required a large amount of work to prepare for cultivation, as it was densely incumbered with timber and brush. He succeeded in clearing all of it and developed a good farm, living there until 1910, when he went to Arizona and homesteaded a farm, on which he lived for three years. He then spent a year visiting, going to California, then to Illinois and finally back to Lynden, after which he went to Flathead county, Montana, where he remained until the fall of 1924, spending the ensuing winter in Arizona. He then came back to Lynden to spend the summer, but his death occurred at the home of his son, the subject of this sketch, May 3, 1925. His widow is still living with her son. She is woman of splendid personal qualities and is greatly liked by all who know her.

R. E. Mutchler received a general education in the public schools of Illinois and Iowa, which he afterward supplemented by a commercial course in Wilson's Business College at Lynden. He then turned his attention to the home farm, assisting his father for a time, and also worked out for about three years. In 1899 he bought his present place of sixty acres. Only a few acres were cleared, and he applied himself to clearing the remainder of the land. He now has about fifty acres cleared and in shape for cultivation, and he is giving his attention mainly to dairying, keeping fourteen good cows and a registered sire. He also keeps a fine flock of laying hens. His fertile fields produce fine crops of hay and grain, and he sells some of the former, also marketing a good deal of fruit, chiefly apples, pears and berries. He has made several splendid improvements on the ranch, including a good house, a substantial barn and other necessary farm buildings, which have added materially to the value and attractiveness of the place. His family at one time owned the Guide Meridian ferry, which they operated for a number of years.

On November 30, 1899, Mr. Mutchler was married to Miss Lydia A. Tremaine, who was born and reared in Illinois, a daughter of J. W. and Ellen (Davis) Tremaine. The former, a native of Illinois, died in January, 1922, while the latter had died when her daughter, Mrs. Mutchler, was but a child. J. W. Tremaine was one of the honored old pioneers of this county, having come here in the late '80s, and he was universally respected. To Mr. and Mrs. Mutchler have been born four children, namely: Ella, who is the wife of Harry Beernink, of Lynden, and has two children; Walter, who lives in Bellingham; Mazie, who is the wife of J. B. Oltman, of Lynden, and is the mother of one child; and Ralph, who remains at home and is attending high school.

Mr. Mutchler has always been a public-spirited man and has shown a commendable interest in the civic affairs of his locality. He served as a school director and clerk of the school board for seven consecutive years, and later he served as a member of the school board and also as clerk of the board at a time when the two offices were separated. Those who know Mr. Mutchler best will readily acquiesce in the statement that many elements of a solid and practical nature are united in his composition, and he has gained the universal respect and consideration of his fellow citizens throughout this section of the county, where his genuine worth is fully appreciated.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 51-52.

HON. CHARLES F. NOLTE

The fruits of victory are for those who dare. Possessing a courageous spirit and the equally essential qualities of enterprise and perseverance, Hon. Charles F. Nolte has converted his opportunities into tangible assets, becoming recognized as one of Bellingham's leading business men and financiers, while he is also an able member of the state legislature.

Mr. Nolte was reared on his father's ranch and attended the public schools. He came to Bellingham in December, 1889, and engaged in the meat business in partnership with his brother. They conducted the market for fifteen years and have since been active in the field of real estate as members of the firm of Nolte Brothers. They handle their own properties and operate on a large scale, doing much to improve the city and exploit its advantages. In 1903 they entered the lumber industry, organizing the Mogul Logging Company, of which George Nolte became president, while Charles F. Nolte assumed the duties of secretary and treasurer. In August, 1904, they formed the Clearbrook Lumber Company, with the same officers, and in the same year C. F. Nolte was one of twelve who organized the Bellingham National Bank, of which he has since been vice president and one of the directors.

Mr. Nolte was married September 25, 1896, in Bellingham, to Miss Minnie A. Brownson. They are members of the Episcopal church, and Mr. Nolte is a republican in his political views. He served for two terms on the city council and is now representing his district in the state legislature. His interest in the welfare and progress of his city is deep and sincere, and for five years he was president of the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce, retiring in March 1917, while he has also served on the board of trustees of St. Luke's Hospital. He is a Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner and has taken the thirty-second degree in that order. He also belongs to the Elks lodge and the Country Club. Mr. Nolte is a board-gauged man of proven worth and ability and occupies a central place on the stage of activity in Bellingham.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, p. 928.

MILAN W. PARRISH

For twenty years M. W. Parrish has been a resident of the Custer neighborhood, and there are few men in that section of Whatcom county who have a better acquaintance than he. Mr. Parrish came out to the coast country in 1905 to attend the exposition at Portland and became so deeply impressed with the possibilities of this region that after some inquiry and a bit of personal investigation he bought a tract of land in the immediate vicinity of Custer in this county and has since made his home here. He was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, September 8, 1855, and is a son of Philander W. and Lydia (Miles) Parrish, the latter of whom was born in St. Johnsbury, Caledonia county, Vermont, June 12, 1822. Her father was elder brother of David Miles, the father of General Nelson Appleton Miles, thus making her a first cousin of that distinguished officer of the United States army. The earliest American ancestor of this line of the Miles family on this side of the Atlantic was the Rev. John Miles, a Baptist clergyman and educator, who emigrated from Wales in 1662 and settled at Swansea, Massachusetts. Philander W. Parrish was born in Hamburg, Erie county, New York, December 30, 1815, and was reared as a farmer. In 1844 he closed out his interests in the east and moved with his family to what was then the territory of Wisconsin, which was admitted to statehood four years later, and he thus was one of the pioneers of that state. The family moved by boat to Milwaukee and from there had a sixty-five mile walk ahead of them to their land in Dodge county. Mr. Parrish had entered a tract of government land in Leroy township, that county, and upon his arrival there settled down with his family and began to clear and improve the place, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives.

Reared on the home farm in Dodge county, Wisconsin, M. W. Parrish was educated in the schools of his home township and remained with his father on the farm until his married in the year in which he attained his majority. He then engaged in farming on his own account in his home county but a few years later moved from there to Nebraska. Not finding conditions there wholly satisfactory he presently returned to Wisconsin, where he engaged in the livery business. He also for some time worked as a carpenter and brick mason. In 1884 he returned to Nebraska and located on a farm in Antelope county, that state, where he remained for something more than seven years, at the end of which time he moved to Mitchell county, Iowa, and established himself on a farm there. On this latter place he remained until 1905, when, as above stated, he moved to Whatcom county. Upon coming here Mr. Parrish bought a tract of forty acres, eighteen acres of which had been cleared and of which all but three acres of a standing grove is now cleared. He was engaged in dairying for ten years, at the end of which time he retired and rented the place, and he is now living on a one acre tract adjoining the village, where he and his wife are very comfortably situated.

It was on November 2, 1876, at Oakfield, Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, that Mr. Parrish was united in marriage to Miss Robsie Roxie Hungerford, and to this union five children have been born, namely: Edna, who died as an infant; Edith M., who married E. C. Bennedict, and living in Bellingham, and has four children, two sons and two daughters; Jessie E., who married E. M. Doane, now living in Alberta, and has two daughters; Verne Parrish, who is married and has one child; and Claude Parrish, now living in California, who is married and has three sons. Mrs. Parrish is a daughter of Hile O. and Julianne (Nichols) Hungerford, both natives of the state of New York, for former, a farmer, born in the vicinity of the city of Utica. Mr. Parrish has ever taken an interested and helpful part in local civic affairs and was for four years chairman of the board of supervisors in and for the township of Custer. He also for years rendered public service as a member of the school board in his district. For eighteen years he has been connected with the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Enumclaw and is widely known throughout this section of the state. For twenty-eight years he has been a member of the Modern Woodmen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 920-921.

JAY L. and LOUIS B. QUACKENBUSH

Louis B. Quackenbush, a prominent and successful Bellingham pioneer, has been a resident of the city during the past thirty-six years, and in 1908 he built the Quackenbush dock and warehouse, which he has operated continuously to the present time. His birth occurred at Owosso, Michigan, in February, 1868, his parents being Captain Jay L. and Sarah (Wait) Quackenbush. The father erected the first building on Holly street in Bellingham and from that time never lost faith in the city and its future greatness, as was manifested by his earnest efforts to promote its progress and his advocacy of the building of the fine city hall which is today one of the adornments of Bellingham. In all things he demonstrated the same spirit of loyalty and patriotism which he displayed when his service on southern battlefields during the Civil war won him the rank of captain.

A native of Montgomery county, New York, Captain Quackenbush was born December 29, 1827, and at an early age went to New York city, where he secured a position in a large clothing house, which he held until he reached the age of twenty. He then moved to Owosso, Michigan, and in that state took up the study of law, being admitted to the bar when he was thirty years of age. Opening an office, he engaged in practice in Owosso until the outbreak of the civil war, when he responded to the country's call for troops and raised a company, of which he was chosen captain and which was mustered in as a part of the Eighth Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He was an ardent believer in the preservation of the Union and deeply regretted that the condition of his health obliged him to resign before the close of the war.

After receiving an honorable discharge Captain Quackenbush resumed the practice of law in Owosso, Michigan, where he remained until 1868, when he sailed for California, around Cape Horn. After visiting San Diego he decided to locate there and returned to Michigan to complete his arrangements for establishing his home on the coast. He resided in San Diego until 1874, when he went to Portland, Oregon, where he was engaged in business until 1885. His next move was to the new city of Vancouver, British Columbia, where he conducted important and profitable business undertakings until the big fire which completely destroyed the city in 1887, losing all his property in that conflagration. He then moved to Whatcom, now Bellingham, and through strenuous effort managed to secure a lot and thereon erected the first building on Holly street, at the corner of Dock, calling the structure the Holly block. There were logs and stumps all around; in fact, the building was practically in the woods, so the he was the pioneer in developing what is today one of the finest thoroughfares of the city. He was also connected with public interests in other ways, serving several times as a member of the city council of Sehome and New Whatcom, and at the time of the erection of the present city hall he was one of the first to advocate the plan, exerting every possible effort to secure a building worthy of what he believed the city would be. There was no feature of city improvement at all practical that he did not support, and his labors were far-reaching and beneficial. About five years prior to his demise, which occurred May 26, 1906, Captain Quackenbush contracted grip, from which he never fully recovered, and thereafter he spent the winter months in California. He was for half a century an exemplary member of the Masonic fraternity, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft, and he was also a member of Washington Commandery of the Loyal Legion. His political support was given to the democratic party. A contemporary biographer said of him: "He was a man in whom the call of opportunity or of duty found ready response and no civil need sought his aid in vain."

Captain Quackenbush was married in 1859 to Miss Sarah J. Wait, and they became the parents of three children, as follows: Douglas J., who died in infancy; Louis B., of this review; and Gladys A., the wife of Dr. G. M. Harris, a practicing dentist of Bellingham. Mrs. Sarah J. Quackenbush still survives and makes her home at Bellingham, where she enjoys an extensive and favorable acquaintance.

Louis B. Quackenbush, whose name introduces this article, acquired a public school education in his youth and also pursued a course of study in a business college at Portland, Oregon, from which he was graduated. He was but fourteen years of age when in 1882 he started out in the business world as a shipping clerk for the Thompson De Hart Hardware Company, with which he continued for eight years, constantly advancing during that period. He then came to Bellingham, in 1890, and was associated with his father, Captain Jay L. Quackenbush, in the real estate business until 1895, when he entered the employ of the Frazzell Hardware Company as inside manager, remaining with that firm for two years. The succeeding three years were spent as buyer for the Morse Hardware Company, after which he lived retired from business until 1908, when he erected the Quackenbush dock and warehouse, which he has operated to the present time. It is a one story and basement structure, one hundred and sixty-five by one hundred and twenty-five feet, and is situated on the waterway at Chestnut street and Central avenue. The activities of Mr. Quackenbush as proprietor of this very popular warehouse have constituted an important factor in the development of the Island trade. He is also manager of the Quackenbush estate, which in 1914 erected the Quackenbush block, a fine two story store and office building at the northwest corner of Holly and Cornwall streets.

On the 8th of February, 1893, in Bellingham, Mr. Quackenbush was married to Miss Hattie T. Crowe, of Bellingham, a daughter of Thomas M. Crowe, who was an early settler of Whatcom county and was successfully engaged in the contracting and building business during his active career. Mr. and Mrs. Quackenbush are the parents of two sons. Claude Fulton, a graduate of the University of California, is now professor of mechanical engineering in the Oakland School of Technology. During the period of the World war he served in the ordnance department with the rank of lieutenant and at the time of the signing of the armistice was the operator of a railroad gun built for the German offensive. L. Stanley Quackenbush, the younger son, is an art student in the University of California.

In politics Mr. Quackenbush maintains an independent attitude, supporting men and measures rather than party. He holds membership with the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Loyal Legion and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. The following is an excerpt from a biography of Mr. Quackenbush which was published in 1917: "He has always been a parton of good clean sport and is quite a noted athlete. For many years he was the champion long distance runner on the Pacific coast and for eight years held the amateur championship as a single scull oarsman at Portland for the Pacific coast. In the '90s he was a member of the Willamette Rowing Club of Portland, Oregon, and the Portland Rowing Association and also has membership in the Tacoma Athletic Club. At present he has his own gymnasium in his home, where he still indulges in physical training. He recognized the immense value as well as the pleasure to be derived therefrom and he has done much to further good clean sport on the Pacific coast."

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 98-99.

JOHN WESLEY SHEETS

By instinct a journalist, J. W. Sheets has achieved noteworthy success in the newspaper business, which has constituted his life work, and is widely known as the owner and publisher of the Blaine Journal-Press, a valuable news medium. A son of A. W. and Ella (Closson) Sheets, he was born September 25, 1879, and is a native of Minnesota. His father was one of the founders of the Todd County Argus, which he owned and operated for thirty-five years, developing one of the best papers in central Minnesota, and was highly esteemed in journalistic circles of that state. He is survived by the mother, who is now a resident of Florida.

J. W. Sheets was educated in the public schools of Minnesota and at an early age was fascinated by the printer's art, learning to set type when a child of eight. He received thorough instruction from his father and as he advanced in years was of much assistance in the operation of the plant. In September, 1903, he arrived in Tekoa, Washington, and purchased the Blade, which he conducted for a year. He then moved to Snohomish and for two years was engaged in farming in that locality. In 1906 Mr. Sheets came to Blaine and purchased an interest in the business which he now controls.

The Journal-Press was formed January 24, 1924, combining the Journal, founded April 23, 1885, and the Press, which was established in 1909 by Jack Thompson. The Journal is the oldest paper in Whatcom county and was started by George Cain and his brother. Louis R. Flowers was the first editor and the position was afterward filled by Orville Espy. Cain Brothers disposed of the business to Joseph W. Dorr and George D. C. Pruner was the next owner and editor. The plant was afterward purchased by E. E. Beard and later the paper passed into the hands of Montfort Brothers. In 1905 they were joined by Floyd C. Kaylor, publisher of the Blaine Reporter, which had been started July 1, 1904. In the fall of 1906 J. W. Sheets purchased a half interest in the business and on July 1, 1908, he acquired the holdings of F. C. Kaylor. Mr. Sheets has since owned the Journal and took over the Press on January 24, 1924, consolidating the two papers, which he is now operating as an eight-page weekly. He has installed a linotype machine, a cylinder press and power folder and has one of the best equipped newspaper plants in this section of the state. He is publishing a paper of high standing, filled with good reading matter and embodying the best elements of modern journalism. Under his expert management it has gained steadily in power and influence and now has a circulation of one thousand.

On May 2, 1898, at the age of eighteen years, Mr. Sheets enlisted in Company K, Fourteenth Minnesota Volunteers, at St. Paul, Minnesota, for service in the Spanish-American war, and was mustered out as a sergeant late that year, terminating a spotless record. This regiment spent most of its existence at Chicamauga Park, Georgia, and Knoxville, Tennessee, in training, and saw no active service.

In April, 1899, Mr. Sheets married Miss Grace G. Richardson, of Long Prairie, Minnesota, a daughter of S. S. and Minnie Richardson, who are now living in Blaine. To Mr. and Mrs. Sheets were born six children: Earl, who has passed away; Leora and Ruth, at home; Rex also deceased; and Paul and Hugh, who are still with their parents. The family are members of the Methodist church and in politics Mr. Sheets is an independent republican. He is of the progressive type, both as a journalist and as a citizen, and has always supported moral interests, fair dealing and the cause of good government without reference to party or personal considerations, winning the respect of the entire community for the courage with which he defends his conviction. He has always been a "booster" and through the columns of his paper is wielding much influence in furthering civic growth and advancement.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 558-561.

ROBERT H. SMITH

No history of Whatcom county would be complete without special reference to the Smith family, whose members have played a leading part in the development of this favored region, in which for more than a half century the name has been synonymous with enterprise, ability and probity. Through his achievements Robert H. Smith has brought additional prestige to the family, and his operations in the real estate field are proving of much benefit to Blaine, which numbers him among its self-made men, for he has made his own way in the world, proving what may be accomplished when effort and ambition combine. He was long a conspicuous figure in local financial circles and his fellow townsmen have honored him with offices of trust and responsibility.

Mr. Smith was born May 28, 1878, in Whatcom county, and his father, Henry A. Smith, was a native of New York city. He was born in 1845 and in Illinois married Miss Alice McComb, a native of that state. They journeyed to Whatcom county in 1873 and in November the father entered a homestead in Mountain View township to which his brother-in-law, Charles McComb, came at the same time, each taking up a quarter section. The land was heavily timbered and they had much difficulty in clearing their claims, exerting every effort to bring the soil under cultivation. They were among the earliest settlers in the township, and the only method of transportation was by water. Wild animals roamed through the forests and it was necessary to build a corral for the protection of the stock at night. As time passed Henry A. Smith succeeded in developing ninety acres of his land and eventually became the owner of a productive farm. His well tilled fields yielded abundant harvests, and he also cut wild hay from the Indian reservation adjoining his property. He was one of the most progressive men in northwestern Washington and among the first stock raisers of Whatcom county. He was liberal, broadminded and public-spirited and aided in the work of building the first church and schoolhouse in Mountain View township. He served on the school board and was deputy assessor and one of the first commissioners of the county. He endured with fortitude the many hardships of pioneer times and faithfully fulfilled every duty and obligation in life. He was an earnest member of the Congregational church and his political support was given to the republican party. His was a career of great usefulness and closed December 16, 1909, while the mother passed away March 9, 1910. To their union were born eight children, seven of whom survive. Some of the daughters attended the normal school at Lynden, Washington, and became successful teachers.

Mrs. Jordan, the great-grandmother of Robert H. Smith, built the first hotel in Whatcom. His boyhood was spent amid the scenes of frontier life, and he remembers the time when Ferndale contained only two cabins and the only means of reaching the town was by canoe, this method of transportation being replaced by ox teams after the construction of roads through the township. It was unsafe to venture into the woods without a gun, and as a youth he engaged in hunting expeditions for bears, wolves and cougars. Deer were plentiful and the forests abounded in wild game of all kinds. His early instruction was received in one of the log schoolhouses of the county, and at the age of nineteen he became a wage earner, working in logging camps, while he also aided in making fish traps. In this way he accumulated the necessary funds for continuing his education and for two years attended the high school at Bellingham, of which one of his sisters was a pupil at the same time. Mr. Smith also paid his way through the Wilson Business College and after finishing his course continued his work in connection with the fishing industry. When twenty-three years of age he became bookkeeper for the Carlisle Canning Company and in March, 1902, entered the employ of the Monarch Lumber Company of Blaine, which he served in the same capacity for three years. On the expiration of that period Mr. Smith opened a book store, here, also handling stationery, and conducted the business for three years. After disposing of his stock he took a hunting trip and on his return became a bookkeeper in the State Bank of Blaine. Merit won him promotion to the office of cashier in 1910 and he acted in that capacity until 1914, when the business was acquired by the Home State Bank, of which he was assistant cashier until 1922. Meanwhile he had become financially interested in the North Bluff Mill Company, manufacturer of shingles and was connected with that corporation until the World war, when he sold his stock. In 1922 he resigned his position in the Home State Bank and purchased the real estate and insurance business of George S. Shaw. Mr. Smith has since devoted his energies to these lines of activity, and a number of important transfers of property have been effected through his agency. In development projects he displays foresight and keen sagacity, and each department of the business has enjoyed a steady and healthful growth.

In 1910 Mr. Smith married Miss Rose Drake, a native of Missouri and a daughter of Mrs. Mary Drake, who came to Blaine in 1902. They have two sons: Kermit, born in 1911; and John Robert, born in 1925. Mr. Smith is a republican in his political views and for two terms was a member of the town council. He was mayor of Blaine for one term and gave to the municipality a businesslike and progressive administration, productive of excellent results. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is also identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He has been secretary of the Chamber of Commerce for many years and loses no opportunity to exploit the resources and attractions of his community, county and state, to which he is deeply attached. He has made the most of life, correctly understanding its values and purposes, and time has proven his worth, bringing him the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 578-579.

F. MARION THOMPSON

If one desires to gain a vivid realization of the rapid advance in civilization which the last few decades have brought to the locality of which this work is a record, he may listen to the stories that men who are still living among us can tell of their early experiences in Whatcom county. Conspicuous among these hardy pioneers who did their part in laying broad and deep the foundation upon which the community's prosperity has been builded is he whose name appears at the head of this sketch - a man who has long enjoyed to a marked degree the respect and admiration of his fellow citizens.

F. Marion Thompson was born in Tennessee on the 1st of January, 1862, a son of A. F. and Martha (Moorefield) Thompson, the former of whom was a native of Tennessee and the latter of Indiana. The father followed farming in his native state until 1885, when he came to Whatcom county and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Delta township, southwest of Lynden. The tract at that time was covered with timber, stumps and brush and it required the vision of the true pioneer to see the future possibilities of that locality. There were no roads, it being necessary for the newcomers to pack in everything on their backs from Ferndale, to which place they had come by boat. Mr. Thompson persevered in the task of clearing the land and getting it under cultivation and in the course of time developed the tract into a splendid farm, on which he spent the remaining years of his life, his death occurring there in 1903. His wife had died in 1865, when her son, the subject of this sketch, was but three years old. They had two children, F. Marion and Thomas.

F. Marion Thompson received his education in the public schools of Arkansas and Kansas, and after completing his studies he turned his attention to farming in the last named state, which occupation he followed for a few years. He then established a general mercantile store in Galena, Kansas, which he ran for about two years, and then, in 1887, he sold out and came to Whatcom county, Washington. For a while after coming here he worked at the carpenter's trade, and also, for about a year, ran the boarding house for the Roeder & Roth quarry. After following the carpenter's trade for another year, he began working as a millwright, building three mills in Ferndale. On completing these contracts he bought eighty acres of his father's farm in Delta township, located seven miles from Lynden, and which at that time had not been cleared. He applied himself closely to the development of this place and now has thirty acres cleared and well improved. He built a good house here in 1907 and also built a substantial barn and made other permanent improvements, all of which have added to the value of the place. The land is devoted to hay and grain, of which he gathers bounteous crops, and he keeps a dairy herd of ten cows, in the handling of which he has been very successful. In addition to his farming interests, Mr. Thompson also operated a threshing machine for about fifteen years. He has been a hard and persistent worker, doing thoroughly and well whatever he has undertaken, and a very gratifying measure of prosperity has crowned his efforts.

In September, 1887, Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Valeria Day, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania, and to them were born two children, both of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Thompson died in 1891, and on January 2, 1905, Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Belle McLelland. She passed away March 15, 1926. They were a congenial and hospitable couple. In 1921 Mr. and Mrs. Thompson adopted a daughter, Katie Gladys Welch, a niece of Mrs. Thompson, and she keeps house for her foster father. She is a graduate of the Bellingham Normal Scholl and has been employed in teaching in Delta township for the past five years. Mr. Thompson has taken a commendable interest in the welfare of the community, supporting all measurers for the material, civic or moral advancement of the locality. Because of his estimable qualities he has long been held in the highest esteem by all who know him, and his friends are legion.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 326-329.

PETER J. VAN HEMERT

Peter J. Van Hemert, well known in banking circles of Lynden and Whatcom county, is a man of marked business ability and recognizes the difficulties, the possibilities and the opportunities of a situation. Energy and perseverance are brought to cope with the first, and tact and resourcefulness utilize the last in the accomplishment of his well defined purpose. He was born in Marion county, Iowa, in 1871 and was thirteen years of age when his parents, John and Willempy Van Hemert, migrated to South Dakota, where the father spent the remainder of his life.

Peter J. Van Hemert attended the public schools of Iowa and South Dakota and was also a student at a normal school. He was engaged in teaching for several years with much success and for two terms was superintendent of the schools of Douglas county, South Dakota. He then turned to commercial pursuits, conducting a grain and live stock business in Platte, South Dakota, and was also vice president of the Platte State Bank and the Tripp County State Bank. In 1910 he arrived in Everett, Washington, and a year later came with his mother to Lynden, where her demise occurred. Mr. Van Hemert purchased an interest in the Lynden department store and was elected treasurer of the corporation. He served in that capacity until 1924, when he sold his stock in the concern, and has since devoted his attention to financial affairs. He is president of the Peoples state Bank, and the other officers are J. W. Stearns, vice president, and J. Van Dalfsen, cashier. The directors are D. W. Bender, J. P. Boerhave, J. W. Stearns, Henry Shagren, Nels Jacobson, Sr., P. J. Van Hemert and J. T. Zylstra. The bank was organized in 1921 with the same board of directors with the exception of J. P. Boerhave, who has replaced H. J. Kok. The business is housed in a two-story building of concrete construction, erected especially for banking purposes. It contains modern vaults, safety deposit boxes and the complete equipment of an up-to-date bank. It has a paid in capital stock of forty thousand dollars and a surplus fund of ten thousand dollars, and the statement of December 31, 1925, showed deposits of approximately $230,000. During the five years of its existence the bank has enjoyed a steady growth and counts as its greatest asset the loyal support and enthusiastic cooperation of its depositors, whose confidence in the stability of the institution has constituted the chief factor in its upbuilding.

In 1902 Mr. Van Hemert was united in marriage to Miss Cora Sluyter, of Douglas county, South Dakota. They are active in the social affairs of the community, and in politics Mr. Van Hemert pursues an independent course, regarding the qualifications of a candidate as a matter of prime importance. He is a man of proven worth and integrity and his activities have always been directed into constructive channels, contributing to public progress and prosperity as well as to individual success.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 141-142.

ALBERT W. WHEELER

The life history of him whose name heads this memoir is closely identified with the history of Whatcom county, which was his home for a number of years. He began his career here in the pioneer epoch and through the subsequent years was closely allied with it interest and upbuilding. His life was one of untiring activity and was crowned with a very gratifying measure of success. He was of the highest type of progressive citizen and none more that he deserved a fitting recognition among those whose enterprise and ability contributed to the development of his community. A. W. Wheeler was born in the state of Massachusetts on the 19th of July, 1854, and was a son of Charles and Rosanna (Bowers) Wheeler, the former a native of New Hampshire and the latter of Connecticut. The Wheeler family is descended on the paternal side from sterling old English ancestors, who came to this country in the eighteenth century, while on the maternal side the line is traced back to Scottish origin, so with the blood of these two nationalities in his veins, it is not strange that in his own life he exemplified the essential qualities of good citizenship. He was educated in the public schools of Connecticut, and after leaving school worked as a painter, and also as a barber, until his marriage, in 1878, after which he lived at various places in the east until 1884, when he went to Kansas, where he took up a homestead in Scott county, which he proved up and on which he lived until 1887, when he went to Nebraska, where he lived for about a year. In February, 1888, he came to Washington, locating at Tacoma, where he lived for two years, and then came to Lynden, Whatcom county, where he was employed in various ways for a few years. In March, 1890, Mr. Wheeler bought forty acres of land in Delta district, densely covered with brush, logs and stumps. After clearing a small patch, he built a house and then went ahead with the clearing of the land, which he completed on twenty acres. To its cultivation he closely devoted his attention until his death, which occurred February 4, 1924. He was a man of indomitable energy, untiring industry and a persistency of purpose which enabled his to accomplish splendid results, despite the discouraging conditions when he took hold of the land. A good business man, sound in his judgment and practical in his methods, he also gained high reputation among his fellow citizens because of his enterprising and progressive spirit. Deeply interested in the welfare of the community, he rendered effective service for nine years as township supervisor and also served as a member of the district school board. Fraternally, he was a member of the subordinate lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and exemplified in his life the sublime teachings of this splendid order. He was a man of kindly and generous impulses, liberally supporting all worthy benevolent and charitable objects, while he was genial and friendly in all his social relations, being held in the highest esteem by all who knew him.

Mr. Wheeler was twice married - first, on September 22, 1878, to Miss Hattie Putney, daughter of James and Francelia (Clark) Putney, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of New Hampshire. Her father became a farmer in New Hampshire, where he spent the remaining years of his life. To him and his wife were born two daughters, Hattie and Sarah. To A. W. and Hattie Wheeler were born six children, namely: Albert L., of Lynden; Ethel, who is the wife of Gustav Olsen, of British Columbia, and they have two children, Evelyn and Leroy; Preston, deceased; one who died in infancy; Alta, who died in infancy; and Edith, who was married on April 20, 1925, to Charles Myette. Mrs. Hattie Wheeler died October 7, 1893, and on December 30, 1894, Mr. Wheeler was married to Miss Sarah Putney, sister of his first wife and who is now living on the home ranch in West Delta township. She is actively directing the operation of the farm and her efforts have been rewarded with splendid success. She keeps five good grade Jersey cows and the land is mainly cultivated to hay and grain. She is a lady of fine personal qualities and is a popular member of the circles in which she moves.

Charles Myette was born in New York city, August 22, 1894, and is a son of Dolphis and Admaide (Degrande) Myette, both of whom were born and reared in Quebec, Canada. The father was for a number of years engaged in the grain business in Canada, but later went to Saskatchewan and homesteaded three hundred and twenty acres of good land. There he lived until his death, which occurred on April 22, 1925, and his widow still lives on the homestead there. Of the family of fourteen children born to them, ten are still living. Mr Myette's maternal grandparents were both natives of France.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 537-538.

WILLIAM C. WHITE

A worthy representative of that type of American business men who may properly be termed "progressive" - that character which promotes public good and conserves public interests while advancing individual prosperity - is W. C. White, a well-known farmer of Ferndale township. He has long been prominently identified with the agricultural interests of this locality and while his varied affairs have brought him success, he has also by example and personal influence contributed to the general development and welfare of the entire community. W. C. White is a native of Fair Mount, Gordon county, Georgia, where he was born on the 12th of July, 1860, and is a son of William Anderson and Melinda (Strickland) White, both natives of Madison county, Georgia, where the father owned a large plantation, raising corn, wheat, cotton and cattle. The parents died in Georgia, leaving a family of six children.

W. C. White secured his education in the public schools of his native state and remained at home until his marriage. During the ensuing nine years he was variously employed and in 1890 he came to Whatcom county, Washington, and bought one hundred and forty acres of land, located along the Nooksack river, one and a half miles west of Lynden. He cleared forty acres of this tract and put it under cultivation, making splendid improvements on the property. There he ran a dairy and raised vegetables, potatoes and tomatoes, continuing to operate the property for four or five years, when he sold it. He next leased and operated other land for several years, and then bought forty acres of good land in Ten Mile township, which he subsequently sold to his son-in-law. In 1919 Mr. White bought twenty acres in Ferndale township, a part of which was cleared, and this land he has devoted mainly to the chicken business and to fruit growing, having about four and a half acres in orchard. He keeps about eighteen hundred chickens, form which he derives a very nice income, and also keeps three cows. He is a good manager, is industrious and persevering, does thoroughly whatever he undertakes, and has gained a fine reputation because of his enterprise and progressive spirit and the fine success which has crowned his efforts.

In 1881 Mr. White was married to Miss Laura E. Smith, who was born and reared at Gainesville, Hall county, Georgia, the daughter of William and Faith A. (Barrett) Smith, both of whom were born, lived and died in that state. To Mr. and Mrs. White have been born five children: F. D., who was born in Georgia in July, 1883, was married in 1915 to Miss Erma Wetzel, who was born at Arrowsmith, Illinois, and they have four children, Crawford F., Shirley Maud, William O. and Gordon Lee; Dora B., Oliver S., deceased, Charles William and Howell, all being natives of Georgia excepting the last named, who was born after the family came to Washington. F. D. White was elected supervisor of Ferndale township in 1924 and is the present incumbent of that office. He is a member of Ballinger Camp, No. 5158, M. W. A., and is in partnership with his father in the farm and stock business. Mr. White is an ardent believer in irrigation and intends to install a pumping plant on the farm in the near future. There is an abundance of water but a short distance below the surface of the ground and when they get access to it the growth of small fruits and vegetables will be greatly facilitated. Mr. White has been active in his support of the good-roads movement and personally helped to build and straighten between five and six miles of the Guide Meridian road.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 675-676.

PETER N. WOGENSEN

Among the favorably known and representative citizens of Ferndale township, where he has lived for a number of years, in P. N. Wogensen, who has by his indomitable enterprise and progressive methods contributed in a material way to the advancement of the community, as well as to his own success. He was born in Denmark on the 15th on June, 1864, and is a son of Nis and Christina Wogensen, both of whom also were natives of that country. The father brought his family to the United States in 1883 and located in Clinton, Iowa, where he was employed in a factory for about four years. He then went to Lincoln county, Minnesota, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted himself, and he resided there until his death, which occurred in 1902. His wife died in 1909. They were the parents of seven children.

P. N. Wogensen attended the public schools of his native country and then learned the trade of a blacksmith. At the age of eighteen years he accompanied his parents on their immigration to the United States, and for four years he followed the blacksmith's trade in Clinton, Iowa. He then went to Minnesota, where he remained about a year, and at the end of that time he went to Watertown, South Dakota, where he ran a shop for two years, followed by eight years in the same line of business at Toronto, that state. He then went back to Minnesota and bought his father's farm, which he operated until 1910, when he sold it and came to Ferndale, arriving here on December 24 of that year. He bought twenty-five acres of land on the Blaine highway, which he cleared and developed into a good farm and to the operation of which he has closely devoted himself to the present time. He keeps three cows and about five hundred laying hens and has about two acres of his land in fruit. Mr. Wogensen also operates a blacksmith shop on his place for the benefit of the neighborhood trade. He keeps his farm well improved in all respects and has a very comfortable and attractive home. His life has been characterized by hard and persevering industry and he richly deserves the success which has come to him.

On June 22, 1893, Mr. Wogensen was married to Miss Thea Petersen, who was born in Norway, a daughter of Andrew and Ellen Karoline Petersen, both also natives of that country. They came to the United States in 1867, settling in Lansing, Iowa, where Mr. Petersen ran a farm until 1872, when he went to Minnesota, of which state he was a pioneer. He took up a homestead in Rock county but later sold it and in 1892 went to South Dakota, where he preempted a farm, on which he resided until his death, which occurred in October, 1920. His wife passed away in April of the following year. To Mr. and Mrs. Wogensen have been born seven children, namely: Leonard, born in South Dakota, April 5, 1894, who is married and lives in Seattle; Elnora, born May 3, 1896, who is the wife of James Forestal, of Seattle; Thelma, born September 28, 1899, who became the wife of Alfred Lockness and the mother of two children - Robert, born February 23, 1923; and Harriet, born February 3, 1925; Alta, born October 12, 1901, who was graduated from the Ferndale high school and the State Normal School at Bellingham, and is now teaching school in Spokane, Washington; William, born February 13, 1904, who is now in Alaska; Hilda, born March 31, 1907, who is now in high school; and Clifford, born November 3, 1908, who is at home. Mr. Wogensen is a member of the Whatcom County Poultry Association, and he and his wife are faithful members of the Adventist church at Ferndale. Mr. Wogensen is a distinctive type of the self-made man. His has not been a pretentious or exalted life but one that has been true to itself, showing him to be a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply interested in everything pertaining to the advancement of his community, and he is recognized as one of the leading men of his locality, enjoying general confidence and good will.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 134-135.

HOWARD O. WORTHEN

A native son of Whatcom county is Howard O. Worthen, who enjoys distinctive prestige among the citizens of Delta township, where he has achieved success as a farmer and an enviable standing as a citizen. He is the representative of one of the old families, the several members of which have performed their full share in the development and upbuilding of their community. Mr. Worthen was born in Lynden, February 7, 1896, and is a son of George W. and Trina (Tobiasen) Worthen, the former born in Vermont and the latter in Nebraska. They came to Lynden, Whatcom county, about 1885 and bought eighty acres of land four miles northwest of Lynden, which they cleared and then cultivated until 1910, when it was sold and the father then bought one hundred and sixty acres six miles north of Lynden. He cleared the tract of the brush and now runs cattle on the place, which is well adapted to that purpose. He now lives in a nice home which he bought in Lynden in 1910. He has been an eye witness of many changes in this locality since he first came here and can tell many tales of the hardships and uncomfortable experiences of those early days. Too him and his wife were born four children, namely: Mrs. Minnie Meunscher, who lives in Ithaca, New York; Howard O.; Elsie, who is now a student in college at Ithaca, New York; and Mary, who is a student in the State Agricultural College at Pullman, Washington.

Howard O. Worthen received his education in the Sunshine school and the high school at Lynden, after which he had two years in the State Agricultural College. He was at home until October, 1917, when he enlisted in the United States Marines, and was first stationed at Mare Island navy yard, drilling recruits, being later stationed at Quantico, Virginia, until he received his honorable discharge in February, 1919. He then located on eighteen acres of land in Lynden township, where he remained until 1924, when he moved onto the ranch that he had leased from his uncle, Theo Tobiasson, comprising eighty acres, four and a half miles northwest of Lynden, in addition to which he bought eighty acres adjoining, twenty acres of the land being cleared. He is an alert and energetic farmer and is already achieving pronounced success in the management of the two tracts. He keeps twenty good grade cows and a pure bred bull, and a few hogs. He raises large crops of hay and feeds practically all his crops. He is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association, as well as the Grange. He takes a commendable interest in local public affairs, being a strong friend of the public schools and an earnest advocate of good roads, both of which he considers prime essentials to an enlightened and progressive community.

On May 29, 1918, Mr. Worthen was married to Miss Verna Boggs, a native of Kentucky and the daughter of Hugh and Mary (Steele) Boggs, the latter dying when Mrs. Worthen was a baby. Mr. and Mrs. Worthen are the parents of two children, Marjory, born December 20, 1920, and Elaine, June 26, 1923. Mr. and Mrs. Worthen are genial and companionable and move in the best social circles of the community, in which they enjoy marked popularity.

History of Whatcom County, Volume II, by Lottie Roeder Roth, 1926, pps. 820-821.

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